A Home Away from Home
Ronald McDonald House Opens Family Room at Texas Children's

For more than 20 years, the Ronald McDonald House of Houston has been a "home away from home" for out-of-town families who travel to the Texas Medical Center seeking treatment for children with cancer or other serious illnesses. The House, located at 1907 Holcombe Blvd., provides a comfortable, home-like environment for families who need a warm, loving place to stay while their children undergo treatment.

On May 8, a similar advantage became available to local families with the opening of the Ronald McDonald Family Room on the 9th floor of Texas Children's Hospital's West Tower. The mission of the Family Room is to provide, within the walls of the hospital, a homelike respite in a caring, supportive environment for families of seriously ill children receiving inpatient care on the Hematology/Oncology floor of Texas Children's Hospital.

"This is the first opportunity for Ronald McDonald House of Houston to give back to the many generous Houstonians who have funded the House for 20 years," said Melissa Garlington, director of development for Ronald McDonald House in Houston.

Now, Houstonians and other local families can have their own "living room/ kitchen" area just down the hall from their childrens' hospital rooms.

The 9th floor Ronald McDonald Family Room includes a living area with comfortable seating, a TV and VCR, as well as a kitchenette with a microwave, refrigerator, ice machine, coffee maker, and bread machine. Families and guests of patients on the floor can come in to visit with one another, grab a quick snack, and enjoy a light meal at any time. Soups, frozen entrees and sandwich makings are all on hand, and provide a welcome alternative to fast food and vending machines.

Ronald McDonald House volunteers interact with the families, sit for short periods of time with inpatient children while parents take a break, run quick errands within the hospital, provide activities, snacks and drinks and obtain information as needed.

Shelley Zanutto, whose five-month-old son Treyton is a patient at Texas Children's, was the first to check out the new family room on its first day of operation.

"What a wonderful way to help families feel at home. When you have a sick child and can't leave the hospital for days at a time, it's nice to have a special place that feels like your own," she said.

Zanutto, who lives in Humble, remains in the hospital with Treyton for periodic one-week stretches as he undergoes treatment for infantile fibrosarcoma, a malignant tumor of the jaw.

A second Ronald McDonald Family Room is scheduled to open this fall in Texas Children's Cancer Center, which provides outpatient care. The Center and Family Room will be located in the hospital's new Clinical Care Building. A third Family Room and 20 sleeping rooms will open in Texas Children's Intensive Care Unit next January.

Donations for the Ronald McDonald Family Room are welcome, especially canned and microwaveable foods, board and card games, and puzzles, books and videotapes for children and adults. To donate, call Nanci Allen at (713) 795-3565.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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