Ronald McDonald House Week being celebrated

By Kyle Troutman ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com

Two local families have benefitted recently from the annual Share a Heart campaign, which is celebrating its biggest week of visibility Feb. 13-19 — Ronald McDonald House Week.

A total of 69 Ozarks-area McDonald’s restaurants are participating in the 36-day campaign, with more than 40 mayors proclaiming this week Ronald McDonald House Week.

On any given night, up to 24 families of seriously-ill children are staying at Springfield’s two Ronald McDonald Houses. The Ronald McDonald House near Cox South Hospital has 14 bedrooms and has been welcoming families for nearly 34 years; and the 10-bedroom Ronald McDonald House at Mercy Kids has been helping families for 10 years.

In a typical year, more than 800 families found a “homeaway- from-home,” hope and comfort at Springfield’s Ronald McDonald Houses, including those receiving daytime-only accommodations.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Ozarks, our families receive home-cooked meals through the organization’s Family Dinner Program, laundry facilities, transportation to hospitals, and support from volunteers and staff who truly care,” a Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks press release said. “The most needed and appreciated benefit is shared between families as they encourage one another and share a true understanding of having an ill or injured child.”

Through the end 2022, a total of 759 families, 174 from Cassville, have utilized Ronald McDonald House services, fourth behind Howell County with 1,098 families, Greene County with 882 families and Jasper County, with 825 families.

Exeter residents Jared and Damaris Alverson required assistance in September of 2022, when their daughter, Emily Alverson, was born on Sept. 27 via emergency C-section at 35 weeks and 3 days due to a placental abruption.

Emily was born unresponsive and coded at delivery, necessitating 30 seconds of chest compressions and 30 minutes of manual breaths until she started responding. Her diagnosis at birth was Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), which meant her vital organs were deprived of oxygen for several minutes.

A decision was made to induce hypothermia to prevent any further brain damage from occurring.

*During the hypothermia process, her levels took a turn and doctors, nurses and other staff rushed into the room to assist,” Damaris Alverson said. “They did a full code consisting of 5 minutes of chest compressions, one round of epinephrine, one round of calcium gluconate, a total of three fluid boluses and intubation.”

Emily’s next few hours were critical as she was put on a ventilator, given many different medications to help her low blood pressure, had a rare and serious procedure called pericardiocentesis performed and had a chest tube placed. On Oct. 2, the chest tube was removed, and she was taken off any blood pressure medication.

“She was taken for an MRI and echo of her heart, and both were normal,” Damaris Alverson said. “There was no initial brain damage at birth and no brain injury after her full code. After a few days she was breathing room air, maintaining her body temperature and taking a bottle. In Emily’s first weeks of life, she coded twice and was brought back to us, survived a life-threatening condition and procedure and defied all odds of any complications. She is our little miracle.”

The Alverson family lives an hour and a half away from Cox South, where their daughter was being treated.

“We were unsure how we would be able to afford staying up there with gas, food and housing,” Damaris Alverson said. “Unfortunately, my husband was unable to get paid for the time off he was taking to be with our daughter, and I am a stay-at-home mom with our almost 2-year-old son. We were referred to the Ronald McDonald House and they were able to help our family financially by providing snacks, drinks, premature clothes for our daughter, dinner every night with the option to take leftovers to the hospital and a room that was accessible to me post C-section on the ground floor. Every person we met was extremely helpful and kind to our family: *We were blessed to have family help watch our son; however, we brought our son to be with us a few days during our 18-day stay. The staff welcomed him so nicely and the Ronald McDonald House had numerous accommodations for him including a playground. family room with games and crafts and a playroom with toys perfect for his age.”

Alverson said she and her husband were confronted with circumstances that no family should ever have to endure.

“Through the Ronald McDonald House provisions, we were given the peace of mind regarding food, housing and finances during this difficult time,” she said. “We are most thankful for the weight that was taken off our shoulders when our daughter needed us most.”

Another Barry County resident utilizing the service was the Arndt family.

“In December of 2021, we found out I was pregnant after my blood sugar bottomed out and my husband had to call 911,” said April Arndt, of Shell Knob. “I’m a Type 1 Diabetic, so about a week after the scare, I took a pregnancy test, and it was positive. We were going to have a baby.”

On April 11, 2022, Arndt’s water broke.

“I had my beautiful baby girl, Gabrielle Dale Arndt, two months early,” April Arndt said. “She weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces and was taken to the NICU, where she stayed for 25 days while she learned to eat and was tube fed in the meantime.”

During that period, Arndt said she was thankful to have the Ronald McDonald House to help.

“I stayed at the Ronald McDonald House and the staff was amazing and friendly,” she said. “My husband would join us on his days off work and we would spend our days at the hospital with our daughter. I am so thankful for the Ronald McDonald House and don’t know what we would have done without them.”

The Share a Heart campaign is in its 30th year and raised more than $121,000 for Springfield Ronald McDonald Houses in 2022. The campaign continues through Feb. 28, and people may visit Cassville McDonald’s at 53 Main St. to donate $1, $5 or $20 to receive a gold heart that can be shares in a social media contest for a chance to win a $250 MasterCard Gift Card. To enter, post a selfie with one or more signed hearts to the RMHC Ozarks Facebook page using “#for-RMHCozarks” for the hashtag. Weekly awards will be randomly drawn every Tuesday in February.

For more information on the campaign, people may visit www. shareaheart.org.