It’s a warm spring afternoon, and the singer at the front of the venue belts out “You Belong with Me” as the audience cheers and sings along. It’s...
Our Families
RMHC in Omaha Blog
At Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha, we know that oftentimes, it’s the little things that provide the most comfort. A hot cup of coffee in the morning. The smell of clean laundry. The feeling of a fresh haircut.
Just like you, our families appreciate those little things in our House, as well as crawling into a warm bed after a long day in the hospital room. The taste of a home-cooked meal, even while far from home. A calming voice saying, “it’ll be okay.”
When families travel to Omaha for their child’s medical care, they need those little things to get through it. They find them at Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha.
These are the stories of our families.
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Families who must travel for a child’s medical care often face myriad obstacles. Isolation. Unfamiliar settings. Equally important obligations can pull siblings and parents apart, geographically, and emotionally....
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Surprises. In some contexts, they’re exciting and fun, like a birthday party or an extra McNugget in your McDonald’s bag. Other surprises are less welcome. Like three McNuggets in your...
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Too often, our families have their lives disrupted by illness. Vacations are cancelled. Celebrations are postponed. Even something as simple as a playdate with friends requires a list of...
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Remington Reece – Remi, for short – is a soon-to-be five-year-old who is spunky, sarcastic, and according to her mom, Alison, “the funniest kid I’ve ever met.” Along with...
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Serenity Luedke describes her daughter, Taylor, as kind, smart, and quiet, but perhaps what impresses her most about her daughter is her strength. “Taylor is probably the strongest person...
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Daniel Harville (12) from Monticello, AR and Jonathan Taylor (15) from Albuquerque, NM are like typical adolescent friends. They enjoy trips to the movies, building with Legos, and playing...
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He had a light that could lift the spirits of anyone around him. She wanted to ensure that light would continue to shine as bright as ever, well into...
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As we navigate the uncertainty of COVID-19, Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment where families with hospitalized children can heal together. Since March 2020, we have made significant changes to our operations to ensure the health and safety of our volunteers, employees and, of course, the critically ill children and their families that count on us
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Allison Winter is a soft-spoken 18-year-old from a small town about an hour north of Knoxville, Tennessee. Her shy demeanor and quiet voice might initially be mistaken for...
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Ethan Dush, in his mother’s words, “cares about everybody.” Regina Dush describes her son as “funny, lovable, and kind.” Like other teenagers, he enjoys playing video games, hanging out...
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There’s a TikTok video of a mother, father and daughter, and as you watch, you can’t help but smile. You see the joy in their faces, the radiant...
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Mike and Tia Jilg understand what this year has been like for you. They know what it’s like to be concerned with a contagious disease and to be isolated from friends and family. They know how stressful it is to meticulously plan every outing, taking every possible precaution to protect loved ones, particularly those who are significantly at-risk. They know how the constant worry and feelings of loneliness can lead to fear and exhaustion.
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At Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha, we’re used to dealing with changing circumstances. But five months ago, we – and all of you – experienced changes unlike anything we’ve seen in our 26 years of existence. We’re used to caring for immune-compromised children and their families, but the coronavirus pandemic has also caused us to cancel events, in-person programs and volunteer activities, and most significantly, prevented us from accepting new families for roughly 90 days.
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The average American has roughly a 40 percent chance of developing some form of cancer during the course of their life, according to research by the American Cancer...
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As guests enter Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha, one of the first things they’ll see is the toy room – a glass-encased space with a Werner Enterprises...
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Facing a medical crisis is a daunting task for any family, let alone one whose child has a condition nearly unheard of, anywhere. Parents can feel isolated and...
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“I just want to go home.” If you’re like most people these days, you probably haven’t spoken those six words in quite some time. With millions and millions of...
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At RMHC in Omaha, we’re no strangers to illness. The families we serve have children facing a whole host of illnesses, many of which compromise their immune systems,...
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April and Jeff Albright have almost always maintained a positive attitude. That same attitude will be needed as they approach a new chapter in their life – parenting...
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As the parents of five children, Rolanda and Patrick have grown used to doing whatever is necessary to provide for their family. One could say they, like our...
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In many ways, Rae and Brandon are a typical Midwestern couple. They live in a small town near Kearney, Nebraska, with their daughters, six-year-old Charliegh, and three-year-old twins...
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When Jax was born six weeks premature and had to spend more than two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, his parents expected him to deal with...
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Families traveling to Omaha in search of pediatric medical care will no longer have to worry about where they’ll stay during their child’s treatment. With the completion of...
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In the fall of 2016, Tania and Jose were expecting their third child. Living in Laredo, Texas, their happy family of four, with sons Jose, Jr. and Gael,...
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Growing up, whenever Kylie needed to talk to her parents, there was one room in which they would always congregate: the kitchen. If she needed to chat about...
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Violeta remembers the doctors rushing to Jonathan’s room in the middle of the night. The look on the surgeon’s face told the story before he could even open...
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“If you stay here, she won’t make it.” Those were the words Victoria heard when her daughter was just three months old. The five surgeries Mireya had endured hadn’t...
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When Sabrina was five months pregnant, her doctor informed her that her son had gastroschisis, a condition where the baby’s intestines are outside of his belly. She and...
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Maria became a mother on August 8, 2014, giving birth to twins, Ezra and Aliyah. Ezra has grown to become a goofy three-year-old, playing and being as mischievous...
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In April of 2015, Michelle gave birth to a perfectly healthy, 7 pound, 9 ounce baby boy. She and her husband Esteban named him Derrick, and they were...
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Harvest season had arrived in Clarinda, Iowa in October of 2015, and Megan was looking forward to the birth of her daughter in just under two more months....
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The following was written by Andrew's father, Steven, and edited by RMHC in Omaha staff. "We were referred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center (now known as Nebraska...
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It was early May, and Brandi and her fiancée Paul were beaming with excitement over the upcoming birth of their twins, a boy and a girl. Brandi was...
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Lamon is eight years old, but he’s gone through a lifetime worth of challenges. When he was born in March 2009 at 27 weeks, he weighed one pound,...
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"Noah was a fighter from the beginning" Arielle was 24 weeks into her pregnancy when she first went in to labor. An ambulance brought her to Nebraska Medicine from...
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The following was written by Patrick’s mother, Emily, and edited by RMHC in Omaha staff. “We adopted Patrick when he was just a few days old, in November 2008....
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Katerina and her twin sister Emma were born in December of 2015, to their parents Tara and Oskard. Unfortunately, the girls were born six weeks early, and had...
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In July of 1999, Tennille and Travis Grosz were expecting their first son. The pregnancy had gone well, and Tennille was scheduled to deliver via cesarean on July...
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The first 32 weeks of Theresa’s pregnancy had gone according to plan, with no indications of future problems. She and her husband, Daniel, were excited to meet their...
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When 19-year-old Andy had a cold that refused to go away, even after a course of antibiotics, his mom, Arlene, decided to take him back to the doctor,...
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Jenny wasn’t expecting to see her new baby boy for two more months, so when she started feeling intense abdominal pain on August 8th of last year, it...
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The Gift of Togetherness is Priceless window.bboxInit = function () { bbox.showForm('5ef5d480-fa49-4bd9-b062-6b03fc306dbd'); ...
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Maximus’ mom, Kellen, describes him as “the sweetest little baby. He is fun and always wanting to play and be a jokester.” She says he is too smart...
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Jonathan is a very happy baby; he is always smiling. Jonathan is 11 months now. He was a full term baby weighing 7 pounds, perfect as can be....
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Destiny is an amazing five year old. She is always smiling, even when she doesn’t feel well, and her bubbly personality is so infectious that others can’t help...
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As of July 31, 2015 Jabreya had spent a total of 950 days at the Ronald McDonald House in Omaha. Jabreya was born with “Short Bowel Syndrome.” “The...
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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...
