Katie & Jack’s Story : I stayed at Ronald McDonald House Birmingham from June 2013 – March 2014 Jack was born at the Women’s hospital with breathing difficulties and was transferred to Birmingham Childrens Hospital. The thought of having to be separated from my newborn baby boy was heart wrenching and scary at such a critical time.When we arrived at the hospital, I was told a room was available at Ronald McDonald House where I could stay and still be close to the hospital (I didn’t realise just how close they meant) Little did I know at this point this would become home for such a long time. It became apparent that Jack’s breathing problem was not temporary I would have to be trained in how to care for him, emergency procedures, organise living arrangements as he would require a ventilator to breathe and be tube fed, staying so close allowed me to be with him every day learning what I needed to whilst been able to take short breaks to do the everyday things which are essential eat, cook, wash, do laundry, sleep and rest and alleviating the financial strain of travel and/or accommodation.It is not just the essentials that this helps with though, the house goes above and beyond to make everyday life as “normal” as possible putting on activities on in the communal areas if you need a distraction for a while. Staff quickly became like friends and were always around to offer help and support if you wanted it. One of the biggest things about being there that I remember is being surrounded by other families who are away from home, with the same worries going through difficult times too. It can be a real comfort!The house is the first place I got to take Jack without the nurses, I remember it like it was yesterday the first time I got to lie on a sofa with my baby boy, something that may seem so small but meant so much at a few months old but was so scary not having the safety blanket of the hospital staff. but still close enough that if anything should happen, we were still in the vicinity of the hospital. The house was a great stepping stone between hospital and home.It provided a space for family/friends to come and visit outside the confines of the hospital and bring back “normal” back to our lives.Its only when you look back you really see what a huge difference this home away from home really makes – it is difficult to put into words just how grateful you are and how much more difficult it could have been. I got to spend every hour I possibly could with Jack, and I will be forever grateful for The Ronald McDonald House Birmingham (Rons as I call it!) and the staff that run it!I did get Jack home for a little while….. just not long enough.