The Garniss Family

When Lauren, now six months old, was born with bowel obstruction and had to be rushed to the hospital over an hour away from her hometown for life-saving surgery, her mom and dad stayed just steps from her bedside at Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario.

When Lauren, now six months old, was born with bowel obstruction and had to be rushed to the hospital over an hour away from her hometown for life-saving surgery, her mom and dad stayed just steps from her bedside at Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario. “Staying at Ronald McDonald House meant that when we needed to rest or eat, we could have a warm and welcoming place to go to that was literally a minute away from the hospital,” says Lauren’s mom Kim.

Family time becomes all the more precious when you are far from home and the mom of three says, “at Ronald McDonald House, I could be somewhat normal with my family and sit together and eat and play with the kids. I had no idea you could feel this warmth when you’re going through such struggle. It’s a family here—it is truly a home away from home.” Now that Lauren is no longer in the hospital and life with three kids is ‘back to normal,’ Kim and her husband Mike say, “for our family, 'being together' means living in the present moment when all five of us are in the same place laughing, loving and sharing each other’s experiences. We know that time is precious and our time together reminds us that that we can count on each other and that we are all together to respect and help each other when needed it most.