06 Mar Ryder Was Life-Flighted Away From His Mom

This is how you helped them stay together

Emily is used to chaos. She works in a jail as a correctional officer, and on a typical day at work, she says, “Anything could happen.”

But nothing could have prepared her for the day her 8-week-old baby became critically ill.

She was home with her infant son, Ryder, when suddenly, his body became hot to the touch. She rushed him to their local emergency room, where doctors told Emily that her baby had a fever of 103 degrees.

Ryder was so little and so vulnerable, he needed specialized care — right away. He was rushed via helicopter to a larger hospital that was hours away. Emily followed in her car, frantic with worry.

Doctors at the next hospital ran tests and found that Ryder had severe bacterial infections. He needed antibiotics and round-the-clock care, and he’d have to spend the next month and a half in the hospital fighting to get well.

And Emily, alone and far from home, needed a place to stay by her sick baby.

That’s when you gave her a “home-away-from-home” right by the hospital at a Ronald McDonald House. Emily was grateful to have a place to sleep and shower … and so much more.

“The House provides a support system,” she says. She would return to the House late at night, after spending long days with Ryder, and could always find someone to talk to.

Being close to her baby — and so many people who care — meant the world to the worried new mom. Thank you for caring about Ryder and Emily when they needed help.