• Tutorials
  • Ikea Hacks
  • Free Printables
  • Holiday
  • Handmade Gifts
  • Etsy Business

EverythingEtsy.com

Etsy Blog | Selling on Etsy | Etsy Banners | Giveaways & Creative Stuff

You are here: Home / Uncategorized / Everything Etsy Supports Ronald McDonald House {Our Story}

Everything Etsy Supports Ronald McDonald House {Our Story}

By Kim Layton 4 Comments

A little more than two years ago we went through a pretty tough time. One of our sons experienced some unexplained seizures that were, um, really scary. Really. Scary.

Image

Our Son AJ (@Play4theWorld) and a wonderful volunteer making music in the hospital.

A huge medical investigation ensued involving multiple hospitalizations and just about every test in the doctor’s handbook. Even a few tests that were so new they weren’t in the handbook.

We spent weeks at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL. All Children’s is one of those places that’s hard to describe. The staff and facilities are exceptional. They took great care of us and were persistent in trying to figure out what was going on.

If it weren’t for the obvious, you could even call the hospital “nice”. But it is a hospital… and a children’s one at that. Nothing could hide the fact that the rooms were full of kids. Sick kids. You never walked far in these halls without seeing the face of a parent one step away from full panic mode. Especially if there were any mirrors en route.

ImageThey never really totally figured out what was going on, but our young man was treated for a few issues that might have been working together to cause the seizures and he’s been better for a couple of years now.

{Thank You, Lord!}

Forever Grateful to Ronald McDonald House

St. Pete is about 90 minutes from our home in Punta Gorda so we weren’t really able to commute much. We probably could have but neither Tim or I were able to be an hour and a half away and stay sane. So we stayed at the hospital.

Of course we had heard of Ronald McDonald House Charities before, but we never really knew what they did or who they helped. We just knew it had to do with kids.

Now we know. Ronald McDonald House Charities operates facilities at or near Children’s Hospitals and other medical facilities in 57 countries around the world. The primary purpose of these facilities is to give families of hospitalized children a place to stay and rest so they can be near their child.

In our particular case there were two Ronald McDonald houses available. One was right in the hospital itself and the other, used for longer term stays, was just a block away. Both Houses were busy with families and volunteers.

I recall being struck by the thought that one could drive by this place every day and never realize the challenge the people inside are facing.

Image

Ronald McDonald House - St. Petersburg

We were able to sleep right in the hospital room with our son and my mom and dad took our other son home with them, so we didn’t need the overnight accommodations. But we took advantage of the laundry facilities, the family rest areas much like a living room, and the small kitchen stocked with cereal, drinks, etc.

More than anything we took in the overwhelming reality of what was going on around us.

There were dozens of families staying in each house. Moms, Dads, and siblings. Each of them there because of two very challenging circumstances. First, they had a child who needed hospitalization for specialty care only available at a pediatric hospital… so a pretty big deal. And second, they didn’t have any such hospital close to home. They had to travel to get the help they needed.

Ronald McDonald House Charities helps these families cope with one of life’s biggest challenges by stepping up and taking care of the moms, dads, brothers, and sisters while the child/patient is being helped by the doctors and nurses.

We greatly appreciated the help they gave us. And we vowed to give back when we could.

Here is a video from Ronald McDonald House’s YouTube Channel that might help you see and feel some of what families go through and how they’re helped by this great organization.

Join With Us to Support Ronald McDonald House

Thanks to readers like you who help keep EverythingEtsy.com a busy place we are blessed to be in the position to give a little to this great organization and we’d love for you to join us!

To help magnify the voice of the handmade/vintage community, we would love to keep track of how many of you join with us in this effort and make it known that we are a community that cares.

Please go to Ronald McDonald House Charities and make a tax-deductible contribution online now.

If you’ve got a story about Ronald McDonald House or if you’ve made a contribution as a result of this blog post, please share in the comments below. Feel free to leave your comment anonymously if you prefer.

We’ll start with a contribution of $300.00 today which comes directly from the proceeds of ad sales here on EverythingEtsy.com

Thanks so much.

~ Kim & Tim (more about us)

Related posts:

  1. The Rainbow Loom Project

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: charity, Children's Hospital, handmade cares, Ronald McDonald House

Comments

  1. Nikki says

    July 27, 2012 at 5:40 pm

    I personally have never had to stay there..but I have had family who has and it was definately a life saver! A sanity saver!!
    God Bless those who take care of that place and donate to fund it!!

    Reply
  2. Malaika says

    July 27, 2012 at 6:27 pm

    A group of us from church volunteer at our nearest RMH making breakfast one Saturday morning each month. I did a blog post with some pictures of us…
    http://findingthethread.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/cooking-up-some-fun/

    Reply
  3. Mandee says

    July 27, 2012 at 7:13 pm

    I love the RMH. I joined Alpha Delta Pi Sorority in college. RMH is our sororities philanthropy. I love the organization and helping out not only the children but the families that stay at the houses. I am so glad you were taken care of and that your son is better.

    Reply
  4. Carly @ Mason's Roost says

    September 15, 2012 at 3:07 am

    We stayed at a House for 8 weeks before, during, and after my newborns heart surgery. They were AMAZING!

    Reply
Previous Post Chalkboard Library Crate {Tutorial}
Next Post Back to School {Etsy Finds}

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Never miss a post:

Enter your email address:

Sell doTERRAEssential Oils How to Start a Blog for Your Etsy Business

 


 

 

 


follow EverythingEtsy on Pinterest


Disclosure: Various posts and pages on this site include affiliate links. We could earn a referral fee if you make a purchase through those links. Your purchase won't cost you more because you followed our link and we only refer you to sources we can personally recommend.

RSS Now at HandmadeandCraft.com

  • 12 DIY Kitchen Ideas
  • 15 Easter Cupcake Recipes
  • Organize with a Chalkboard Wall Calendar!

RSS Now at KimberlyLayton.com

  • St. Patrick’s Day Crochet Shamrock Pattern & Video Tutorial
  • Printable Coloring Pages for St. Patrick’s Day
  • How to Get Your Business Featured on Blogs

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 EverythingEtsy.com · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy ·


The term "Etsy" is a registered trademark of Etsy, Inc. - This site is not affiliated w/ Etsy, Inc.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT