17 Jun Celebrating Fathers with a Sick Child on Father’s Day

Being a dad is never easy. And when your child is in the hospital, many parents start to feel powerless. Whether it’s the fear of not knowing if your child will get better, or the stress of dealing with hotel and transportation costs— parents carry a heavy burden when their child is hospitalized.

While Father’s Day is a day to celebrate and honor all the father-figures in our lives, we’re also paying special attention to those dads with a sick or a critically ill child.

Honoring the Dads at Ronald McDonald House 

For Nick Gonalez and his family, staying at Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Antonio meant that they could be close to their newborn son while he was in the NICU. After 17 long days in the hospital, Nick’s wife, Denise, had to deliver their son prematurely due to preeclampsia. If it had not been for the Ronald McDonald House, the Gonzalez family would have endured a 65-mile commute back to their hometown. Instead, they were provided with a comfortable room just one floor above the NICU.

Of course, The Gonzalez family isn’t the only family that benefits from the Ronald McDonald House. For many families, the Ronald McDonald House is a saving grace during turbulent times. 

“Staying at The Ronald McDonald House has taken a huge weight off our shoulders since our twin daughters were born at only 25 weeks old,” says Peter Vanderstoep, another father staying at the House. “I am so thankful for the support this organization has given to my family to ensure that we are close to our children, I don’t know what we would have done without RMHC!” 

How We Help

We serve more than 4,500 families each year, and it is our mission to continue providing safe and affordable housing to families of children receiving essential medical services. By providing over 14,000 overnight stays, we’ve also saved our families approximately $2.1 million in expenses that they would otherwise incur while seeking medical services for their children. 

At Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Antonio, we aim to ease the burden of caregiving for parents by keeping them close to their loved ones. We believe that families are stronger when they are together, and this is never more important than when a child is sick or injured. 

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This Father’s Day, help us continue to keep fathers close to their little ones. Give now in honor of fathers everywhere.