Finding the best medical care can be expensive and stressful. Kentucky native Sydney Jones knows firsthand through her journey with Kylainah, her beautiful baby girl. Kylainah was diagnosed with bilateral club foot and after having six different full leg castings from her home hospital, it was discovered that those treatments may have been doing more harm than good. “After that, we set off on our journey to Iowa to visit the best clubfoot doctor in the country,” said Sydney.
Sydney and Kylainah stayed at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (RMHC-EIWI) for a full month while Kylainah started treatment to correct her clubfoot. They then made multiple trips back to continue treatment and ensure Kylainah was progressing well. Without the RMHC-EIWI, Sydney doesn’t believe she would have been able to afford the trips to Iowa. “If I would have had to pay out of pocket for lodging and food while in Iowa, the trip would not have gone as smoothly and not have even been feasible for our family. As a single mother who had to take weeks off of work to ensure proper treatment for my daughter, having a place to stay was a blessing and allowed us to maintain our bills back in Kentucky.”
Multiple visits to doctors, travel to different states, and countless castings on your legs doesn’t allow much time to develop a sense of humor. But for Kylainah, the House was the first place she learned to laugh! Sydney explains, “My daughter, who was around three and half months, started cracking up for the first time when the RMHC staff was holding and playing with her. Throughout the whole day, the staff continued to make her laugh and it was such a refreshing sound to hear after all that she had been through!”
RMHC-EIWI made the stay for Sydney easier physically, emotionally, and financially which allowed her to connect with other families at the house and develop lifelong friendships. “We met so many friends from all over the country and we are able to keep in touch so we can continue our journey together!”
