The Meyer Family
Jake and Julie Meyer have a unique experience: they have stayed at two different Ronald McDonald Houses in Iowa. In 2017 the couple from Grinnell, Iowa welcomed their first child into the world; a son named Brody. When Julie gave birth on April 5 in Des Moines, Brody developed severe meconium aspiration syndrome. After staying […]
The Gray Family
On November 7, 2020 during the global COVID-19 pandemic, Halie Gray gave birth to her daughter Esmie at just 31 weeks into the pregnancy. The newborn was transferred to the NICU at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, and Halie, now a single mother, didn’t know what to do next. There was no […]
The Fischer Family
Carolyn and Louis Fischer from Dubuque, Iowa knew ahead of time their newborn son Ray was going to have complications at birth. Doctors were projecting a 10 to 12 week hospital stay and the Fischers figured traveling the 172 mile round trip from Dubuque to Iowa City would be doable. However, everything changed two weeks […]
The Murray Family
Despite being an hour away from their home in Eldridge, Iowa, Dustin and Emily Murray felt part of a community thanks to the Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City. Their newborn son Grayson was born early at 35 weeks and had to be placed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the University of […]
The Taylor Family
Sarah Taylor was in the back of an ambulance at 34 weeks pregnant on her way to St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids. Soon she would be hour away from her home in Manchester. Sarah and her husband Dan had two previous children at the Manchester hospital with no issues, so this was new territory […]
The Kirgis Family
Jon Kirgis arrived at the Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City by himself after his wife Michelle prematurely gave birth to fraternal twins Phoenix and Oliver. Michelle was recovering at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and didn’t expect to be discharged for a few more days. “I was filling out paperwork, getting […]
Emmalee Kratz and the Young Family
Emmalee Kratz may be a novice fundraiser, but when the 7th grader asked her classmates at Center Point Urbana Middle School for donations for the Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City, she pulled out the stops: creating flyers, making morning announcements on the PA system, and sharing PowerPoint slide shows with teachers and friends. In […]
The Boxleiter Family
One of the families we’ve helped during the past 35 years is the Boxleiters, who live in Dubuque, Iowa. After admitting their newborn daughter, Amelia, to the NICU at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Chris and Shayna Boxleiter headed to the House, where they stayed for the next 12 weeks while Amelia […]
The Cerna Family
The day after being born with pulmonary hypertension, Hector Cerna Jr. was transported from Unity Point Methodist in Des Moines via helicopter to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City. Parents Hector Sr. and Alicia traveled to Iowa City followed by car, “It was the scariest time of our lives” said […]
The Haworth Family
Emily Haworth remembers seeing a sonogram of her son Nolan, “My husband Aaron and I gave him the nickname Little Lion because it looked like he had a mane.” After Nolan was born, doctors diagnosed him with choroid plexus papilloma which leads to increased fluid in the brain, causing increased pressure in the head. Doctors […]
