rmhc logo
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Career Opportunities
    • Contact Us
    • History & Annual Reports
    • Our Relationship with the Medical Community
    • Mission, Vision & Values
    • Our Families
    • Our Relationship with McDonald’s
    • Meet the Team
    • Corporate Partners
    • Land Acknowledgement
  • Events & News
    • Request a Tour or Guest Speaker
    • Covid-19 Response
    • #ShowYourStripes
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give
    • Wish List
    • Merchandise Store
    • Adopt Me Program
    • Planned Giving
    • Corporate Partnerships & Recognition
    • Recycling and Pull Tab Program
    • Young Hero Program
    • RMHC NL Birthday Hero!
    • Donate a Car (truck, RV, boat, or motorcycle)
  • Volunteering
    • Group and One-time Opportunities
    • Volunteers – In House
    • Helping HAND Awards
    • Volunteer – In the Community
    • Regional Development Coordinators
    • VicNet
    • Annual Volunteer Gathering
  • What We Do
    • Staying with Us
    • Referral Process
    • Virtual Tour
    • Programs
  • Family Stories
    • Meet Mason Deering of Shearstown
    • Meet Thomas St. John and his family from Dublin Ireland
    • Meet Kaydee and her family
    • Meet Paul Oram from Glovertown
    • Meet Two Teens Fighting Cancer Together – Christina Dingwell and Kayla Ash
    • Meet Claudia of Bishop’s Falls
    • Meet Twins Rexton & Rocky of Glovertown
    • Meet Kallei Rogers and Her Family from Harbour Breton
    • Meet Carter and His Family from Stephenville
    • Meet Nick and His Family from Labrador
    • Meet Daymean and Daydreian Beck of St. Lawrence
    • Meet Carlyn Urquhart and Her Family from Happy Valley-Goose Bay
    • Meet Izaih Whalen and His Family from Pilley’s Island
    • Meet Shane and Karley Abbott of Princeton
    • Meet Jack Hutchings and His Family from Corner Brook
    • Meet Ethan Hunt – No Mission Impossible for this Ethan Hunt
    • Meet Isla Short and Her Family from Deer Lake
    • Meet Kaydee McIsaac of Stephenville – A Familiar Face at RMHC NL
    • Meet Ailish Slaney and Her Family from St. Lawrence
    • Meet Ria Colbourne and Her Family from Coffee Cove
    • Meet Christian Hatcher and His Family from Appleton
    • Meet Sage Barnes and Her Family from Trout River
    • Meet Madison Atkins-Plowman and Her Family from Hawkes Bay
    • Love helps beat the odds…. Meet Scarlette Fifield and Her Family from Pilley’s Island
    • Meet Michael Carroll and His Family from Labrador City
    • Meet Natalia Williams and Her Family from Labrador City
    • Meet the Osbourne Sisters of Labrador City
    • Meet Weelo Leveque
    • Meet Sammi-Jo James of Point Leamington, NL
    • Meet Joshua Skinner of Massey Drive, NL
    • Meet Grace Voisey of Happy Valley-Goose Bay
    • Meet William Chaulk of Deer Lake, NL
    • Meet Aiden O’Keefe of Goose Bay
    • I’m a miracle!! Meet Pearce Ash of Salmon Cove
    • Meet Connor Butt of Stephenville, NL
    • Meet Heidi Chaulk of Carmanville, NL
    • Meet Denver Genge and his family from Brig Bay, NL
    • Meet Ryder Renouf of Cape St. George, NL
    • Meet Stevie Manstan of Labrador City, NL
    • Meet Owen and Noah Strong of Shoal Harbour, NL
    • Meet Felicity Caines of Rattling Brook, NL
    • Meet 14 Year Old Ayden Cooper of Little Catalina NL
    • Meet Jack Rowe of Deer Lake, NL
    • Meet Sammi Jo James of Point Leamington, NL
  • Events & News
    • Host a Fundraising Event or Activity
    • News
    • Red Shoe Crew – Walk for Families
    • McHappy Day
    • Miss Achievement Scholarship Program
    • Race for Reason
    • Create a Community Event
    • Spare Some Love Bowling Event
    • FORE the Families Golf Classic
    • Lights of Love
    • Enchanted Family Fun Event
    • Team RMHC
    • Signature Salon
    • FireFit Fun Run!
    • VOCM Dial-a-Carol
    • Vendors Market
    • Day by the Bay Golf Classic
    • Alex Shaves for RMHC NL
    • The Dub Show
    • Hopping Into Spring Craft & Gift Fair
    • Motorcycle Ride
    • Chatters Hair Salons – A Beautiful Cause
    • Goods Bingo
    • Holiday Lottery – WestJet
    • VOCM Radiothon
    • Royal St. John’s Regatta
    • Shamrock Showdown
    • Christmas Calendar Draw
    • Kilometers for Kids
    • House that LOVE Built Gala
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Donate
  • Mother’s Day – Give the gift of Mom
  • The Squeezebox Page Presents The ‘Come From Away’ Cast and Musicians
  • Father’s Day – Give the gift of Dad
  • Meet Jerrica Bartlett of Labrador City
  • #FamilyIsMedicine
  • Phil Fowler Race Team
  • Group/One-Time Volunteer Opportunities – old
  • Family Time Park
  • The History of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove
  • SockIt for sick kids – POP UP SHOP
  • Cancelled – John and Lucy – Ride the Newfoundland Rail Trail
  • donate
  • Meet 7 year old Grayson Brake of Corner Brook, NL
  • FORE the Families Golf Classic
  • #ShowYourStripes
  • Art from the Heart
  • Meet Matthew Rideout of Buchans, NL
  • About Us
  • Stay With Us
  • Get Involved
  • Volunteering
  • Events & News
  • MENUMobile Menu
  • HOW TO STAY
  • mobile search
  • About Us
    • Mission, Vision & Values
    • History & Annual Reports
    • Our Relationship with the Medical Community
    • Our Relationship with McDonald’s
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Corporate Partners
    • Board of Directors
    • Meet the Team
    • Career Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • Stay With Us
    • Staying with Us
    • Referral Process
    • Family Support Programs
    • Family Time Park
    • Family Stories
    • Virtual Tour
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give
    • Host a Fundraising Event or Activity
    • House that LOVE Built Gala
    • Wish List
    • Young Hero Program
    • Corporate Partnerships & Recognition
    • Adopt Me Program
    • Recycling and Pull Tab Program
    • Donate a Car (truck, RV, boat, or motorcycle)
    • Merchandise Store
    • Planned Giving
  • Volunteering
    • Volunteers – in house
    • Volunteer – in the community
    • Group and One-time Opportunities
    • Regional Development Coordinators
    • Annual Volunteer Gathering
    • Helping HAND Awards
  • Events & News
    • Host Your Own Community Event
    • RMHC NL Birthday Hero!
    • News
    • Request a Tour or Guest Speaker
  • facebook-logo
  • twitter-logo
  • youtube-logo
HOW TO STAY
  • RMHC NL
  • RMHC NL

Meet Stevie Manstan of Labrador City, NL

     

Family is medicine and right now its helping seven-month-old Stevie Manstan of Labrador City battle a congenital heart defect at Ronald McDonald House

It is hard to put into words how a parent feels when their child has been     diagnosed with an serious illness.  And for families who don’t live close to the   medical care and resources they need, there is an added stress, distance. RMHC gives families with a sick child what they need most – each other.  

 While expecting her second child, Sara Matthews, of Labrador City, NL experienced complications early in the pregnancy which required a lot of travel to St. John’s for monitoring.  During this time Sara and Jeffrey were told,  prenatally, that their child was diagnosed not only with Down Syndrome but also a congenital Heart Defect known as an atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD).  This condition is a heart defect where there are holes between the chambers of the right and left sides of the heart, and the valves that control the flow of blood between these chambers may not be formed correctly.  Their little girl, Stevie, was born on July 26, 2022.  She spent the next 24 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“Being away from our home was extremely difficult and worrisome, especially when I had to leave my son, Jack who is only 7 years old,  in Labrador City. We didn’t know what to do or where to stay.  All we knew was that we needed to be with Stevie during this critical time.” Sara Matthews, Stevie’s mom.

It was then that a social worker at the hospital referred the family to the programs and services offered at Ronald McDonald House.

“Once we were at Ronald McDonald House we were only across the parking lot from her and I was even close enough to make it in the middle of the night for her feedings. ”

In December, Stevie had open heart surgery to repair the hole in the middle of her heart.  While the surgery was successful, there are still some complications.

Stevie will need to be followed by cardiology for the rest of her life.

“We are so grateful to have the Ronald McDonald House to stay close by our     daughter in hospital.  Now we have a place to stay when we go for our regular cardiology appointments every six weeks.  Ronald McDonald House feels like our second home.”

At Ronald McDonald House there are several programs and resources to support families far from home with a sick child. “The quilts given to us for Stevie and Jack when we first entered the house were such a special gift and we loved coming back to a cooked meal after a long day at the hospital.  My son Jack loved the Family Time Theatre room. It gave him a chance to feel included while our focus had to be heavily on Stevie in the hospital ” Sara continued

Stevie has a long road ahead of her filled with medical appointments and treatment.  With the family living in Labrador City, more than 2100km away from our provinces’ only pediatric hospital, they have come to rely on the programs and services at Ronald McDonald House to keep their family together and near the medical care and resources Stevie needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

donate Icon DONATE
volunteer Icon VOLUNTEER

  • Events & News
  • Volunteering
  • Get Involved
  • What We Do
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and conditions

© RMHC

The following trademarks used herein are owned by McDonald's Corporation and its affiliates; McDonald's, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Ronald McDonald House Charities Logo, RMHC, Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room, and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.

RMHC is recognized as a public charity under Internal Revenue Code section 509(a) and has 501(c)(3) status. Donations to RMHC are deductible. Donors should consult their tax advisor for questions regarding deductibility. The RMHC EIN is 36-2934689. A copy of the RMHC determination letter is available upon request.

Charitable Registration Number: 85050 2865 RR 0001