For families whose children need medical care far from home, a Ronald McDonald House can offer more than a place to sleep.
In San Antonio, the homes provide free lodging and everyday comforts while families focus on treatment.
Amor and her 2-year-old son Leonardo, from Eagle Pass, have stayed at a San Antonio Ronald McDonald House for 395 days. Leonardo has had two surgeries to treat a heart condition and is waiting for a third.
The houses offer bedrooms, play areas, laundry facilities and a large kitchen where families, and often volunteers, can prepare meals.
That kitchen is where 11-year-old Juan Carlos and his family gathered during a stay in San Antonio for his intensive therapies.
“It helps people with disabilities, people who can’t walk,” said Juan Carlos.
His family travels from about two hours outside of Los Angeles and has made the trip to San Antonio four times. Each stay lasts about three weeks.
“It feels like you’re at home,” he said. “It feels calm, safe.”
Liz Medina, director of operations for Ronald McDonald House of San Antonio, said families have come from countries including Honduras, Turkey and Poland. She said the houses are a “home away from home.”
The free lodging can also ease a significant expense. Travis Pearson, the organization’s CEO, said a family could otherwise spend thousands on a local hotel during a 30-day stay.
That financial relief allows families to focus on their child’s care, Pearson said.
“When families can be engaged at that level, when their kids are in the hospital, the kids tend to go home sooner, and the kids don’t come back for re-admission,” Pearson said.
San Antonio has three Ronald McDonald Houses, each with 21 bedrooms.
Two are located in the Medical Center, while the third is housed within Christus Children’s Hospital downtown.
McDonald’s funds about 20% of the organization’s mission; the rest relies on community support.
“If this place wasn’t here, we would not have been able to come,” Juan Carlos said.
In addition to monetary donations, Medina said volunteers can help by preparing meals, assembling snack bags for families heading to the hospital, donating blankets or leading activities for children.
“You never feel alone,” Amor said.
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