Baby Jezlin was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect during her mum's 3rd trimester, and was referred to NUH for possible surgery after she was born. Jezlin's first few weeks of life were in the ICU where countless checks were done on her, as she required constant monitoring. Jezlin did get discharged momentarily, but her family's joy was short-lived as a mere month after leaving the hospital, Jezlin's cardiologist made the call to proceed with surgery, which put Jezlin back in the ICU yet again.
Kim's son Jared was diagnosed with Autism at the young age of four and a half years old and has been seeing doctors, psychologists, and therapists to help with self-regulating his condition.
The Ronald McDonald House located in NUH is a place where caregivers can get a good night's sleep in any of our 4 comfortable bedrooms, knowing that their sick child is just moments away.
The stigma of having a child that visits the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) is something that has always been at the back of Michelle's mind and is something that no parent should have to face. She cannot help but feel like she and her son are being judged whenever she books a Grab or Taxi as she would have to put IMH as the destination.
I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to you and your team for providing my family and I with such a wonderful space at the Ronald McDonald Family Room @ the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) over the past few years. You and your team have helped to make our visits to IMH more bearable and has even become something we look forward to. My boys look forward to the drinks and snacks! And one even remembers the tasty goody bag from one Children's Day distribution.
Meet Melissa Tan, and her son Ayden Ayden was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect when he was born. This condition impeded his growth, and he needed to undergo a heart surgery. When he was two months old, he was just the weight of a new-born. It was an extremely tough and taxing time for Melissa and her husband to have to witness Ayden undergo such a complex surgery at such a tender age. Melissa and her husband were referred to Ronald McDonald House Charities, and were subsequently offered a room to stay in when Ayden was hospitalised after his surgery in July 2021. “Not only was the Ronald McDonald House cosy and well-equipped with both cooking and laundry facilities, my husband and I were extremely touched by the great lengths that the staff went to, to make us feel welcome and comfortable.”
A baby thought to be the world's smallest at birth was discharged from the National University Hospital after 13 months of intensive treatment. Baby Yu Xuan was just 212g, the weight of an apple when she was born and measured 24cm in length. She was delivered at just under 25 weeks, far short of the average 40. We spoke to Yu Xuan's mother, Ms. Felicia Wong about how her stay at Ronald McDonald House helped her cope with the caregiving of Yu Xuan. When asked about how she felt about Yu Xuan's birth, Ms. Wong said, “It was really a shock to me, as my first born child did not have any irregularities whatsoever.” The mother of two then expressed her gratitude to both NUH and Ronald McDonald House Charities Singapore for allowing her the complimentary use of one of its four bedrooms for seven months from December 2020 to July 2021. “It's like a hotel, and having food and a quiet place to think really helped me through the entire ordeal at NUH,” said Felicia, who is originally from Malaysia. The couple's older child is currently in the care of her parents and in-laws back in Malaysia. She was also grateful for having a proper space to eat her meals in peace, especially with the ever-changing dining restrictions imposed during the course of the pandemic.
On 16th October 2019, my son Adam was born and our lives changed forever. He was a full term baby and I had a normal delivery. So many dreams and plans were crushed the moment he took his first breath. A code blue was called and I never heard my baby cry. Within seconds the midwife passed my son to me for a quick photo and he was taken away to the NICU. The next time I carried my baby was 40 days later.
