25 Jul Meet Our Families – The Davises

Posted at 15:52h in Families, The House by

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta provides a home-away-from-home for over 1,000 families each year, and we love when our families share their stories. The Davis family shared this story (edited for publishing).

“Words cannot truly express the extent of what RMHC has done for our family. On January 26, 2023, our son Elliot was born into the world 15 weeks early weighing 1lb 8oz. Our world was a whirlwind that day as we saw him nearly slip away from us and then stabilize enough to be transported to the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. That night, as we settled in at RMHC, it brought wonder to our hearts and tears to our eyes to experience being reunited with our other three children as close to our little baby as we could be. We were amazed RMHC had everything we needed for daily life as those early days were a roller coaster ride of emotions and change. We appreciated being free of financial stress as we navigated balancing family and NICU life. 

 

The hot meals served, the beautiful kitchen, outdoor courtyard, playroom for our children, and laundry rooms among many other blessings were so appreciated! The staff remained a cheerful presence during our stay and were incredibly accommodating and hospitable. Our children enjoyed visiting with the housekeeper each morning and loved the fun events that were planned. We so appreciate the volunteers who help keep RMCH spick and span and stocked with snacks and drinks to grab on the go. As our NICU journey took a lot longer than expected (6 months), we spent many holidays at RMHC and appreciated the festivities. Receiving Mother’s Day cards and gifts from complete strangers was a special treat.  

 

On July 10th, we were discharged. We officially have a NICU graduate! Thank you to everyone who has done so much for us and for so many other families in our time of crisis.

With much gratitude, 

The Davis Family“

The Davises spent over 160 days at RMHC Augusta. To support our mission of keeping families like Elliot’s close, consider making a donation today.

A special excerpt from Mrs. Davis’ journal entry:

Friday, January 27th, 2023

Everything has changed. The last few days have been very hard but our little Elliot is here and doing well❤️ After a couple of days of contractions, confusion, pain medication, and struggling together for your life you were born very fast and unexpectedly at 5 am on Thursday, January 26th. You were rushed through the halls to the NICU being resuscitated on the way. Mama will call them angels, but people using their God-given gifts for good, worked feverishly on your little 1lbs 8oz. body for hours to enable you to live. Daddy and I were told of your grave situation and were allowed to come and watch. The Doctor was making decisions and giving orders while Mr. Jeff steadily enabled oxygen into your lungs, Ms. Tori was your nurse and cared for you for the first 7 or so hours of your life. The atmosphere was controlled but heated and we bowed in prayer and cried as your life seemed to be slipping from us at times. Erin, Mama’s nurse put her arm around me and recited Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

God’s hand was on you, Elliot. An army formed that day and stormed God’s throne of mercy. Emotions were a roller coaster as we saw and heard your progress that day-filled with hope and joy with good news but tempted to be discouraged and afraid as we knew the fragility of your life and the critical condition you were in. You were given nitric oxide that required a more intense and aggressive team of professionals to administer. This drug was given as a last resort and we were not sure how you would respond. It worked very well and you were transferred ever so carefully to Augusta Children’s Hospital NICU. You were prayed over in the ambulance by your nurse Beth and ever in the almighty hands of God. You finished the trip strong! We sent out this update to our family and friends: ”Elliot is stable after a transfer to Augusta’s NICU children’s hospital. We spoke to the nurse and Doctor. He got on a regular ventilator(taken off an oscillator) and they will be taking different meds off as they see fit. What a praise! We are en route with the children and going to sleep at the Ronald McDonald house tonight. The Lord has ordained His wonders today and we are in awe!”

Daddy went to say goodnight to you and brought a bitty nano diaper back. Mama hugged your diaper and cried with the glowing report Daddy gave of you. You were moving, kicking, and off more of your medications, and with that we rested together while the Lord held us.❤️

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta serves over 1,000 families each year. Our volunteer-run community kitchen serves over 15,000 meals, and our volunteers and families run over 5,000 loads of laundry every year.

We hope that this story has inspired you to get involved and help families just like this one. The staff, our volunteers, and the Board of Directors thank the Davis family for sharing their story.