Early in her pregnancy doctors realized Teri Wessley wasn’t gaining the proper amount of weight. While Teri wasn’t admitted into the hospital, she had to pay close attention for any complications that might arise. At the 30 week mark of her pregnancy, she began to go into pre-term labor while shopping at a local hardware store with her husband Hunter. Teri was immediately transported from Muscatine to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital for the betterment of her and the baby.
On October 30th, 2018 Justin Wessley was born and was placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Hunter and Teri spent a total of 47 days at the Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City while Justin was receiving care at the NICU. During this time, Justin developed a respiratory infection so having a welcoming place they could call home in the Ronald McDonald House helped Hunter and Teri through tough times. Teri explains, “The staff at the House helped us when we really needed it. We weren’t sure how long Justin was going to be in the hospital, but we knew we always had a comfortable place to sleep and a home cooked meal every night.”
Throughout their stay the Wessleys would spend a majority of their time at the hospital to be near Justin, but during the night they found a fun way to pass the time: billiards. “We loved the recreation room downstairs at the House” said Teri. “We spent a lot of time down there playing pool, eating snacks, and relaxing. Hunter was really good and would play against me or other families. The pool table helped us bond with perfect strangers and took our minds off things for a little while. Families need to be together during hard times and the Ronald McDonald House was there when we needed it the most”.
