Family Guest Book

My daughter's name is Angelica. She was born with vader syndome, clippiel fiel syndrome and sprengals deformity. We have stayed several times over her six years of life. She just underwent clavical reconstruction surgery at Shriners Hospital. RMH has always been there for us. They are so good to our family, we don't know what we would do without them. - Breanne Lange

THANK YOU!!! My son Miles and I would like to thank you for all the help and support you gave us while we were at the Ronald McDonald House! We received the most hospitable treatment. My heart and prayers go out to all involved in supporting and making these stays possible!! - Misty Richardson

What an awesome organization. I had the opportunity to stay at the East House in Portland, Oregon and was taken very good care of.  - Sharon Freeman

I wanted to thank you for providing the best possible home while I was getting treatment. It meant a lot to me and I can't wait to see you all again in 12 days =) - Mamie Clare

Our family has stayed at the west and east houses in Portland, Oregon on and off for the last 6 years. It is such a big help to my family and for my kids comfort. They're so supportive and loving. We love RMH. - Breanne Lange

My husband and I first stayed at RMH at Legacy for the birth of our son Owen in March of 2007. We stayed for nearly 3 weeks as he was treated for a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. We stayed again for 1 night in July of 2009 when Owen neeeded an additional surgery. RMH is a very special place to us, it meant the world to be able to stay so close to him while he was in the hospital. RMH was a little haven amidst the chaos of his hospital stay!

In 1995 our son Tyler who was 2 had a wilms tumor. He had one of his kidneys removed. We were all very scared. We lived in Bend, OR and also had a 6 year old son. We stayed at the RM house and it was a blessing, since we couldn't go home right away because of chemo, and recouperating. Ty sure loved the play room! The nurses were all so sweet. He had Dr. Wolf, he saved Ty's life! We met many other families in the same situation. We formed a bond and prayed with them for their child. I can't say enough about what the Ronald McDonald House does for people like us who are in this situation with our children. Thank you, Teri Rennels



PS Tyler is now 17 and cancer free!!! He will be graduating from high school next year. He wants to be an actor, he loves acting..... The Picture is of myself (his mom) and Tyler Joe Rennels age 17.

In March 2009 our brand new triplets, identical boys, got RSV and were transported to Portland, to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Our two other children were 5 and 2 at the time, so traveling back and forth or sleeping at the hospital was really difficult. The triplets needed me daily for my breast milk. My husband is a student at UofO and had to commute 4 hours/day just to be with me and the kids. The older kids were with me but I couldn't take care of them in the PICU and I couldn't leave them in the hall so I could use the breast pump. It was a difficult time when we wondered how we could be everywhere we needed to be. Finally we looked into the RMHC. They had a breast pump I could use even in the middle of the night. All our needs were met; food, laundry, comfortable beds, beautiful rooms, the kindest staff, and we built relationships with other families there who were hoping for answers just like us. The triplets turn one next month. They are doing great. Thank you RMHC for keeping our family together through a very hard time!

Our family stayed at the RMH for 83 days while our little girl Hailey went through 3 open heart surgeries. Her first one on July 21st at just 3 days old. Her last one was just before Thanksgiving. Hailey has a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. God called her home on December 2nd. We were very thankful to have the RMH to stay until we moved here in October. Thank you very much.

We want to thank you all for the times we have stayed here. My daughter has been in and out of the hospital since she was a baby and having a place to stay that feels like home helps a lot.

I was welcomed at the Ronald McDonald House for 14 days. The most difficult days of my life. We learned that one of my twins was born without kidneys. The staff at the house was so welcoming and they were always concerned about my daughters condition. My heart goes out to the staff and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House because without them we wouldn't have been able to be by our daughters side. Thank you so much for all your help and support!

Ashley is doing very well. She is back to playing softball again. She is the texting princess you see here with her mit in one hand and phone in the other.

I stayed at this RMH, and all I can say is thank you. I had such a great stay from the friendly staff and the food offered by outside people. My twin girls that were born at 28 weeks were in the NICU for more than 60 days and I couldn't thank everyone enough. Some time when I am in the area I will stop by and say hi...

We were rushed to Portland when my son that was 5 at the time had Kalla Sokies Disease. It is very rare but deadly. His little face was turning blue. We have four other children and were wondering where we were going to stay. Thank you so much for making my nightmare turn into a dream...Dylan is now 7 and healthy as an ox. Two weeks after being in the hospital, we had to go back for our two week old to have her first surgery and we stayed at the Ronald McDonald House and for her second. We now have to go in for her third. I am so scared but I know with the love and support of the house we will be able to get through it.

"This is a wonderful place to stay when your child is sick."

"We experienced such warmth and care when arrived with Chloe' our 8 year old. We could not prepare for her procedures without the help of the Ronald McDonald House and right now as she is in the playroom it eases our hearts to know she is in a safe place, with love. This will help so much in readying her for her procedures tomorrow. Thank you!"

"Thank you to everyone at the Ronald McDonald House (all of the supporters, volunteers, etc.). My son had Guillian Barre syndrome and was in the hospital for 59 days. Fifty-five of those days we stayed at the Ronald House. We thank you all very much and wish you all the best. Thanks."

"It was my first pregnancy. It was a very difficult one. Our daughter was going to be born with Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (basicaly half a heart). We had been told there was not much hope to save her, but we ended up finding Dr.King and Dr. Starr who thought that there was hope. So I ended up staying at the Ronald McDonald House for about a month until our baby was born. She had her first Open Heart Surgery at 2 days old. Her second surgery at 5 months, her third at 12 months, and her fourth just a few months before she turned 3 years old. We are so gratful for all of the time that we got to stay at the Ronald McDonald House and it really has become our home away from home. Jozlynn is now 4 years old and doing great. We are now awaiting another surgery, but we never have to worry about how we will feed ourselves or where we will sleep because we know that we will be well taken care of durring our next stay at our Ronald McDonald House."

"We come from The Dalles, Oregon. The reason we are here is because our baby McKenzie. She was born with Hydrocephalitis, double cleft palate and a month early. McKenzie is our first born. We have been married for three years. Staying here has been a great experience for us and we feel very blessed to stay here with such wonderful people experiencing their own life journeys. The staff here are so great they're helpful, and and make you feel right at home.

"My junior year of high school, I became very sick, and we didn't have anything in Boise (where i am from) that could provide adequate treatment. I was hospitalized in 2005 at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon when I was sixteen and spent the next several months receiving intensive treatment. Even once I was back home, I often flew back for outpatient and would stay at the Ronald McDonald House. I am so grateful for the Ronald McDonald House, and what it provided for me and my family during that time. It truly felt like a home away from home, and I'm honestly not sure what we would have done without it. I am now attending a university in Seattle studying psychology and political science, and race throughout the US (and hopefully soon, Europe!) for a professional women's cycling team... but the Ronald McDonald House will always have a special place in my heart!"

"I would like to thank Ronald McDonald House for allowing us to stay. It was great and everybody was very friendly. Our son had open heart surgery at two months of age and it was a very hard time for our family. Thank you for everything Ronald McDonald House! And thank you to the amazing staff and volunteers!"

"Madison had her third open heart surgery at Legacy Emanuel August 19, 2008. Of all the things that parents worry and fret over, we never had to worry about where we would stay and if it was close enough to the hospital. The Ronald McDonald House has been our home away from home, and will always be close to our hearts. Madison has been given a new lease on life and we are grateful for an amazing support system. Thank You to the amazing staff and volunteers!"

"Two-month-old Arielle came to have surgery to correct a birth defect that was affecting her breathing, and will return again at one year of age to correct another defect that affects her eating. We have very much enjoyed our stay so far at the Ronald Mc Donald House."

"Thank you so much for being here! We were on our last day of vacation when my daughter got sick and we did not know what we were going to do. Thanks to your kind staff we made it through this tough time. Thank you."

"We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House East for one month while we waited for our first daughter, Tatum Turner, to recover from surgery and start eating. She was born with gasteroschisis (her intestines were on the outside of her stomach.) We made a lot of friends at the house that made us realize that things could be a lot worse. Our hearts go out to the families who have lost their children. Thank you to all the employees and volunteers. You are really making a difference! Tatum is six months old now and learning fast."

"My family has been here a total of four times in the past year. My son Jakob has a seizure disability. Ronald McDonald House has been great. Everytime we are here, my family has always been treated like family. I always felt right at home here. Thank you so much for being here for me when I needed the support."

"Wilber was born with heart defect he has been in and out of the hospital in his short 2 months 5 times. He is back in Intensive Care Unit fighting off a lung infection. He is my little peanut and will have his second heart surgery around the first of September. Thanks to the Ronald McDonald House for all their help and making me and my family feel welcome. Wyatt and his twin thank you also."

"My family stayed at Ronald McDonald house in Portland Oregon while our preemie son Justin was at OHSU for two and a half weeks. Without the Ronald McDonald House, we would have had to stay in the hospital waiting room. This is a place where people really care and are very supportive. When we left, I felt sad and happy because I felt like we were leaving our home and happy because we were taking little Justin with us. We are from La Grande Oregon and our son was life flighted to OHSU March 2nd 2006. He is now a wild almost 2 year old. I think about the people we left behind there and wonder how everything turned out for them. I think about the wonderful people who give so much there. I am a supporter of Ronald McDonald Houses 110%!! Good Luck to those who find comfort in these wonderful, caring places and remember, you are never alone."

"My son John who is 6 years old was at Dornbecher for brain surgery on July 8th. The stay st the Ronald McDonald House made this much easier for us to cope with this hard time. The families and staff are wonderful and supportive. Thank you so much!"

"Our son Angel had Down Syndrome and had to have two heart surgeries but after 4 months with his family God needed him and took him home. We were and still are very young and trying to make it on our own with our other beautiful child and if we would not have had the Ronald McDonald House we would have never made it. We miss everyone there I could never say one bad thing about anyone, it makes you feel so good to have the support of all the staff and families at the house. We love you guys and greatly appreciate everything. Thank You!"

"After our son, Kelvyn, was born 6 weeks early, weighing in at 3 lbs 10.5 ounces, and was transfered from Longview, WA to Legacy Emmanual, we were spending more time worrying about whether we could afford a hotel or just drive the hour long trip twice a day. The first day I spent in the NICU with Kelvyn the nurse asked me if I had a place to stay. They told me about the Ronald McDonald House. We stayed for about three weeks and was amazed with the generosity of the people. It was our home away from home. Thank you!!"

"I just want to say Thank You to everyone at the Ronald McDonald House. Everyone was very helpful and nice. We had a great time the rooms were very nice and it was very peaceful there.I am so glad that they have a place to go to like this during a time of need. It takes a lot of pressure off the situation that you are dealing with. It is a home away from home. Also my mom stayed with us to and she really enjoyed herself as well. Again THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING."

"Our son, Ben (14 years old), was in the hospital for 10 days with Crohn's Disease. The Ronald McDonald House was so close that we could be at the hospital to help our son. When we had to cook his meals, the kitchen was stocked and always available. The staff was so friendly and helpful. It was a very comforting place for us. Thank you."

"My little girl Ashley (8 years/second grader) was badly hurt in a car crash on April 5, 2008. She sustained a right arm fracture with vascular trauma from her right elbow to her right wrist. She had a total of nine surgeries to repair her arm. We were airlifted to Legacy Emmanuel Children's Hospital via the life-flight jet in the pouring rain in the middle of the night. While she was in the hospital, our family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House for a little over a month. We finally went home to The Dalles the second week in May 08. We have to come up to Portland from The Dalles once a week for doctor appointments at the hospital and every time we stay at the Ronald McDonald House for a night then leave the next day. They always have a room for us and are very nice towards are situation. My little girl has a long road to recover for her right arm to fully function the way it did before.We are so grateful this house exists. It is only a few feet from the hospital doors."

"We are back again for a 2 day stay this time. We stayed here a year ago when our son Jacob was born (in Salem, Oregon) with a heart defect (Transposition of the Great Arteries). Our first stay was 16 days long and would have felt even longer had we not had the Ronald McDonald House and all it's caring people. Everyone made us feel so welcome and cared about. It really is a home away from home. Thank you to everyone that made our stay an easier one."

"I couldn't believe my eyes, when I saw my son Kaden staring back at me on your website. Thank you. I had never seen that picture before. We couldn't thank you enough for what you enabled our family to be- together. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

"I was so thankful that my husband and I were able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House East, when our son Frankie only 4 days old at the time, had to under go open heart surgery. Staying at the house made it so easy to be closer to my son when he needed me the most. The staff make you feel at home, are always there if you have questions, are very supportive, and loving. Without the Ronald McDonald House I would not have been able to stay near my son. Thank you Ronald McDonald House!!"

"The Ronald McDonald house was a wonderful place to stay while our daughter Jasmine was in the hospital across the street. We met lots of wonderful people from all over the United States. If we had to, I would love to stay there again. It was a very friendly environment."

"A big THANK YOU for helping to make sure we have a place to call home while our daughter, Becca, is in the hospital. Even though each day brought new challenges, we remained strong and positive through the love and support of our 'extended family' at the Ronald McDonald House."

"I just want to say thank you. I am thankful that you were there when we needed help the most. I would've had to sleep in my car if it was not for this place."

"We would like to thank everyone at the Ronald McDonald House. Our son Austin received a kidney transplant and we were so blessed to be able to stay. We made so many wonderful friends. The staff there is so helpful and caring. It truly is our home away from home! We would be lost without the Ronald McDonald House."