01 Jul The Jones Family

The Jones family called the Ronald McDonald House their home for 121 nights. Following a cerclage procedure Becca had to prevent the early delivery of their twin girls, the Jones family checked into the Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House.

The Jones family lived 45 minutes away from Erlanger Hospital, so they were grateful to have somewhere to stay close and not worry about the drive to the hospital if Becca did go into premature labor. When Becca had her procedure, she was 21 weeks, doctors let she and Levi know if she could just make it to 28 weeks, the girls would have a much better chance.

At 27 weeks and 6 days, Becca went into labor. Catherine and Candace were born at exactly 28 weeks! They were both born weighing over 2 lbs and breathing on their own. For the next few month, the girls just needed to grow. They were both placed on CPAP machines to help strengthen their breathing.

Becca shared how much it meant to her to be close to her girls, “It’s more of a comfort thing for me, to know I’m literally right here. Especially with us living 40-45 minutes away, I could not do that drive. If I did get that call and was told something was up, I couldn’t have made that drive safely.”

Though Candace and Catherine didn’t struggle with other health issues, being premature, bradycardia (bradys) is an expected part of prematurity because the nervous system is immature.

Levi shared how hard it was to watch the girls have bradys, “At the very beginning we weren’t allowed to even touch them for the first like 7-10 days because they were scared of brain hemorrhage from the bradys. You didn’t know what to expect and it was terrifying.”

Learning to be a parent for the first time has it’s own struggles, so a “home away from home” with sources of comfort helped the Jones’ get through the four months. To name a few, the staff, meals and being close to the hospital were all at the top of Becca and Levi’s lists.

They went on to share, “I don’t know why you don’t hear about this place more often, after you’ve been able to stay here, it’s life changing.”

Your support for the Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House has given children and parents the strength to face a terrifying medical situation. Thank you for helping families stay close!