“…Thankfully Barbara, one of MMC’s wonderful social workers, referred us to the Ronald McDonald House. Just two blocks from the hospital, the Ronald McDonald House was amazing and a true blessing during this most stressful time of our lives. I was able to return to work one month after Kelton was born, returning to our home away from home at the Ronald McDonald House every night. The Ronald McDonald House made it possible for Anita to spend the maximum amount of time with Kelton every day. Staying at the Ronald McDonald House also let us connect with other families in similar situations which made it easier to cope. One of highlights of our stay was a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner cooked by the volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House.”

The Ronald McDonald House is a Gift that keeps on giving. The RMH gave us, in a word, Peace. Our son Caleb was born seven weeks early and living 90 miles away from the hospital what was best for him forced us to explore ways to be close to our small baby. We didn't have to look far. Everyone at the RMH went above and beyond to make us feel at home, safe, and at peace as much as possible. They achieved that goal from the very first day! We will forever be grateful for the small things: meals around the clock, gas cards, hair dryers and stamps just to name a few. We can't wait for our turn to give back and are all signed up, right around our son's first birthday in December! We can never say thank you enough to all of the staff and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House, our Home away from Home!

Our son Noah was delivered at 4:10 p.m. on April 8th, 2008, fifteen weeks premature. Noah weighed just 1 lb. 14 oz. and was 12.5 inches long. Darren and I were in a state of shock and had no idea what would be in store for us on the NICU rollercoaster. After a few days of recovering, I was discharged from Maine Med, and Darren and I moved into the Ronald McDonald House, just a few blocks down the street from the hospital and our son. It was the start of one of the most positive and memorable aspects of our long rollercoaster ride. We came to consider the House our home, and we don't know what we would have done without it. Our own home was an hour away from the hospital, and I don't know how we would have afforded traveling back and forth. More importantly, it gave us so much more time to be with Noah... With Love, Michelle, Darren, & Noah Brann  

My husband and I checked in to the Ronald McDonald House the day I was discharged. We were immediately welcomed and felt comfortable. It was so nice to have a place for us to call "home". We also were able to have our 5 year old daughter come and stay with us too - a very important thing for all of us. Our days were spent back and forth from the hospital - tag teaming with each other around care for our older daughter. Most days we would meet back at the Ronald McDonald House for dinner together. The meals were very crucial for us as a family as it felt so good to do something "normal" together. I know that people say this all the time, but for us to not have to think about things like meals, laundry, communication with our friends and family and where we were all going to sleep that night allowed us to concentrate on our family and this was invaluable to us. - Jen Ruhlin