Support families like Peyton’s
“I couldn’t have got through the worst year of my life without Ronald McDonald House”
Dec. 2023
Dear RMHC Supporter,
My life was turned upside down when Peyton, my 16-month old daughter, was diagnosed with cancer while I was 38 weeks pregnant with my second child.
Peyton started chemotherapy immediately, and we tried to navigate her treatment while living at home. When she was airlifted to the IWK Health Centre, the uncertainty was overwhelming.
I didn’t know where we would stay, how long we would need to be at the hospital, or how we would manage financially.
That’s when we heard about Ronald McDonald House. Having a place to stay so close to the hospital meant that I could be by Peyton’s side through every appointment and treatment.
Over the course of 14 rounds of chemotherapy and 22 hospital admissions, we spent 294 nights at the Ronald McDonald House. It was nothing short of a lifeline for our family.
I write today to ask you to give if you are able. Your donation to RMHC Atlantic will make it possible for other families facing similar harrowing experiences to focus on what matters most – being together. Your support has the remarkable ability to touch lives and make a difference for families like ours, providing the resources we need during our most challenging moments.
It was the Ronald McDonald House, incredible staff, dedicated volunteers, and donors like you who provided us with the strength to face this overwhelming challenge.
As a single mom, caring for two little ones, we spent nearly a year away from our home. The House became a place where we found a community of support. We cooked together, laughed together, and shared moments of both vulnerability and triumph with other families.
Peyton would feel down in the hospital, but the moment she saw the House, she’d light up and say, ‘My room!’ She’d eat when we were at the House, but not so much in the hospital, believe it or not!
Doctors said she might never walk after they removed her sciatic nerve and muscles around the tumor. They even took nerves from lower in her leg and did a nerve graft to give her the best chance of leg function. Now, Peyton is trying to run, and it all started with her wanting to walk to “her room” at the Ronald McDonald House.
Finally, in July of this year, we celebrated Peyton’s last chemotherapy treatment and she got to ring the bell.
Everyone gathered, and as we stepped through the doors of the House, the loud cheers and the sheer joy on my daughter’s face marked it as one of the most significant moments in our lives. Later, a joyous celebration took place on that extraordinary day with our Ronald McDonald House family!
Ronald McDonald House became a haven and source of inspiration and strength. It allowed us to witness countless other families facing their own battles. Together, we shared stories, fears, and hopes. We drew courage from each other, finding comfort in the knowledge that we were not alone.
Donate today, families like mine need your help and a gift of any size this holiday season provides a place to find hope in the darkest times, a place to heal, and a place to stay that feels like home.
Please know your support makes a world of difference in the lives of children like Peyton, and parents like me.
Ashton Merrithew
Peyton’s mom
“I couldn’t have got through the worst year of my life without Ronald McDonald House”
Dec. 2023
Dear RMHC Supporter,
My life was turned upside down when Peyton, my 16-month old daughter, was diagnosed with cancer while I was 38 weeks pregnant with my second child.
Peyton started chemotherapy immediately, and we tried to navigate her treatment while living at home. When she was airlifted to the IWK Health Centre, the uncertainty was overwhelming.
I didn’t know where we would stay, how long we would need to be at the hospital, or how we would manage financially.
That’s when we heard about Ronald McDonald House. Having a place to stay so close to the hospital meant that I could be by Peyton’s side through every appointment and treatment.
Over the course of 14 rounds of chemotherapy and 22 hospital admissions, we spent 294 nights at the Ronald McDonald House. It was nothing short of a lifeline for our family.
I write today to ask you to give if you are able. Your donation to RMHC Atlantic will make it possible for other families facing similar harrowing experiences to focus on what matters most – being together. Your support has the remarkable ability to touch lives and make a difference for families like ours, providing the resources we need during our most challenging moments.
It was the Ronald McDonald House, incredible staff, dedicated volunteers, and donors like you who provided us with the strength to face this overwhelming challenge.
As a single mom, caring for two little ones, we spent nearly a year away from our home. The House became a place where we found a community of support. We cooked together, laughed together, and shared moments of both vulnerability and triumph with other families.
Peyton would feel down in the hospital, but the moment she saw the House, she’d light up and say, ‘My room!’ She’d eat when we were at the House, but not so much in the hospital, believe it or not!
Doctors said she might never walk after they removed her sciatic nerve and muscles around the tumor. They even took nerves from lower in her leg and did a nerve graft to give her the best chance of leg function. Now, Peyton is trying to run, and it all started with her wanting to walk to “her room” at the Ronald McDonald House.
Finally, in July of this year, we celebrated Peyton’s last chemotherapy treatment and she got to ring the bell.
Everyone gathered, and as we stepped through the doors of the House, the loud cheers and the sheer joy on my daughter’s face marked it as one of the most significant moments in our lives. Later, a joyous celebration took place on that extraordinary day with our Ronald McDonald House family!
Ronald McDonald House became a haven and source of inspiration and strength. It allowed us to witness countless other families facing their own battles. Together, we shared stories, fears, and hopes. We drew courage from each other, finding comfort in the knowledge that we were not alone.
Donate today, families like mine need your help and a gift of any size this holiday season provides a place to find hope in the darkest times, a place to heal, and a place to stay that feels like home.
Please know your support makes a world of difference in the lives of children like Peyton, and parents like me.
Ashton Merrithew
Peyton’s mom