The Taylor Family

“RMH brought a sense of calmness to our life amidst a storm. Upon walking through the front doors of RMH the first time we remember an instant feeling of comfort.”

“On January 22, 2024, our family’s world was flipped upside down. Our oldest son Parks, who was 3 at the time, was fighting a persistent cold, became very pale, and began to have small, faint red spots on his face. After getting Parks into our family doctor, where he was quickly sent for blood work, we got a call that evening to go to the Regina General Hospital where the pediatrician on call would go over the results with us. While a lot of that evening was a blur, the words of the doctor remain very clear. “Your son Parks, has Leukemia.” Wow. We were torn and in total shock of this diagnosis. The doctor informed us we would spend the night in the Regina Pediatrics unit, then head to Saskatoon to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital the next day. The Children’s Oncology team would be waiting for us at JPCH when we arrived to go over the treatment plan and then begin treatment there. We spent 2 weeks at JPCH for Parks to have surgery to receive his central port, his first treatments of chemotherapy, and his first of 2 bone marrow biopsies which results confirmed his diagnosis of B-cell acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(ALL). After those 2 weeks, we were discharged from the hospital and would continue Parks’ treatment as an outpatient at JPCH. Through these months of treatment that Parks has had and will continue to undergo for the next 2 years, we have had the privilege to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon. The Ronald McDonald House, or as Parks calls it, “The McDonald House”, has been one of the greatest blessings for our family as we navigate through Parks’ chemotherapy treatments away from our home.
We first stayed at Ronald McDonald House when Parks was undergoing early treatments at Jim Pattison’s Children’s Hospital. With the weight of Parks’ recent diagnosis, RMH brought a sense of calmness to our life, amidst a storm. Upon walking through the front doors of RMHC for the first time we remember an instant feeling of comfort. Greeted by the smiling faces of the staff in the front office, we received our orientation tour of the house. After seeing the small family rooms throughout the house, the kitchens, the play structure outside, and our boy’s favourite, the big playroom in the basement. I remember sitting in our room looking at Faith and saying, “This place really does feel like home.” Every time we would either go to the hospital or go home, when we would arrive back to the house, a feeling of comfort grew strong.

Whether we are at the house for a short stay for Parks day treatment or a longer stay for more extensive treatment, every time our family gets to experience just how remarkable Ronald McDonald House is.

We’d like to share a few things that our family loves and cherishes about RMH. First off, the “Home for Dinner” nights. Whether the day was spent focusing on Parks’ treatment or traveling to Saskatoon, or just keeping our 2 boys entertained. A good home-cooked meal, that Faith didn’t even have to cook, is always great! While you may not know it, it is possible to get tired of fast food. Having a meal provided for us relieves a huge burden, and they always taste amazing!

Secondly the Staff and Volunteers of the house. I’m not sure if they know it, I really hope they do before I mention it now, but they bring a lot of joy to our family. The many games of peek-a-boo at breakfast, to the games of “chase” through the halls in the afternoons or just the time they take to listen to stories. Alot of Parks’ smiles, giggles and memories from the house are with people who have become pretty special to him. Their genuine care and concern for our family as we continue on Park’s medical journey, shines through with every smile, conversation, or sweet gesture that they give. They really are a special group of people.

The final thing I want to mention was the natural connection our family got to create with other families in the house who’s kids were going through their own medical storms. Those connections would lead to daily check-ins with families throughout our stay. From conversations about how our kids were progressing in their medical journey, to just chatting about how their day was going. When families take on medical difficulties, there is a natural compassion for each other that quickly comes to the surface, and staying in the same house as those people gives you a reminder that you aren’t alone in your child’s medical journey. But a lot of those daily check-ins at the house didn’t just stop there but have grown into friendships. Friendships that would have maybe never happened if we didn’t have the McDonald’s House as our common ground. While we would love to talk for hours about many more things our family loves or are thankful for about Ronald McDonald House. We will leave you with this. The impact that Ronald McDonald House Charities has made on our family’s life, along with many other family’s, is enormous! And we are very grateful and appreciative for everyone who has supported and those who continue to support the Ronald McDonald House.”

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