March 23, 2016

Meet Jack Hutchings and His Family from Corner Brook

Going through the traumatic experience of a difficult pregnancy with one or more babies in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit can affect parents’ emotions in very different ways. No matter how short or long a new born baby’s stay is or what the complications are, parents all cope differently. In fact, for parents, their baby’s hospitalization may be one of the most stressful times they will ever experience.

Jason and Tanya Hutchings were excited to be expecting their first child when, Tanya, being 32 weeks pregnant, was sent to St. John’s and diagnosed with preeclampsia; a condition in pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure, sometimes with fluid retention and potential kidney damage.

“Our son Jack arrived via emergency C-section on January 22, 2016. We were, obviously, concerned for our son.  We had no idea how long he would remain in hospital and on top of that we had no accommodations for our family after my discharge.  There was no way we could leave him alone.

It was during this stressful time that, thankfully, Ronald McDonald House came to our rescue. They welcomed us with open arms and great big hearts!  They provided us with all the comforts of a home-away-from-home. We were able to walk back and forth to the hospital easily. Our stay at Ronald McDonald House was more than we could ever imagine. We will be forever grateful. Thank you to everyone that supports this home-away-from-home!”, expressed Tanya.

Jason & Tanya spent a total of 27 nights at Ronald McDonald House.  The close proximity of the House to the children’s hospital enabled them to remain close to Jack and together as a family.