Oliver’s Story

My name is Cassie. My husband Heith and I stayed at the Omaha Ronald McDonald House last December when our baby, Oliver, was in the NICU at Women’s Methodist Hospital. We were only there a week, but we will never forget how great of an experience it was for us. We felt welcome and at home from the minute we walked in the door.

The night we arrived was Christmas Eve. On Christmas day, we got back from the hospital to find a bed full of Christmas gifts. It was our first Christmas with our baby, but we couldn’t be at home with him. The Omaha Ronald McDonald House helped make the holiday special – despite what we were going through. We immediately fell in love with the RMH charity and told our family all about it. Both of our families decided that for our next Christmas, our first Christmas home with Oliver, instead of buying each other gifts we would donate to RMH.

Sadly, my husband’s mother, Sheree, won’t be with us this Christmas. She passed away in April 29th after being confined to a wheelchair for 29 years and becoming paraplegic. She, along with my husband, sister-in-law, and father-in-law, were in a car accident when my husband was only seven years old. Sheree was told that she wouldn’t survive, but after eight months in different hospitals, she was able to come home. She not only survived the wreck, but fought and won the battle with breast cancer, a fight she once again was told she would not win. Sheree has been the rock of our family, and the greatest, kindest person I’d ever met. She would never complain and was always smiling. Sheree never thought she would welcome a grandchild into the world and my husband and I thought we couldn’t conceive.

When Oliver was born, Sheree became his biggest fan and had never been happier. When she passed, we decided to have the option to have memorials made out to the Omaha Ronald McDonald House; we know it would have been what she wanted. She loved her grandson more than anything, and was just as touched as we were for what you did for us when we needed it most. We hope you can use donations like these, to bring a little happiness to other families, like you did for us.

Once again, thank you for all that you do, for all the volunteers and the long hours put into such a wonderful thing. You truly make such a difference in the world.

Sincerely,

Hieth, Cassie and Oliver