The Hall Family

The Hall Family – David, Hannah, Daniel and DJ

The First Stay at the Ronald McDonald House – 50 nights!

David and Hannah Hall are from Cookeville, Tennessee. When they stayed at the Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House the first time, they needed to be close to their newborn preemie twin boys in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger.

Past Ronald McDonald House family with their twin boys that were in the NICU.

Though there were scary moments as each boy was delivered via C-section, they both held on. Daniel was born at 4lbs 4 oz with underdeveloped lungs was on CPAP and IVs. DJ was born weighing 1lb 4 oz and was underdeveloped and needed time to grow and learn to breathe and eat on his own. Even with Daniels underdeveloped lungs, he joined his mom and dad halfway through their stay at the House.

Best memory for these parents: Being able to have a home for [Daniel].

Hannah and David shared: “This is [Daniel’s] first home so to speak…this is where he got his first bath outside the NICU, this is where he got his first bottle after the NICU this is where he will have slept for many nights. Even though our family is not together and we’re missing a piece, he’s still living as normal as possible. I think that’s the best thing about being here, we can give [Daniel] the quality that he deserves.”

The Second Stay at the Ronald McDonald House – 30 nights!

When David and Hannah Hall checked back into the House only a couple weeks later, they were frustrated and scared. When their boys were in neonatal intensive care, they were prepared for that reality during Hannah’s pregnancy. Being back at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger with both their twin boys having contracted RSV every day they went in and the boys were on ventilators and getting blood infusions and were REALLY, REALLY SICK.

Hannah shared just how intense it was for their family:

“There were a lot of days for Daniel and weeks for DJ that we had no idea if we were going to get to take them home. I’m sitting here right now watching my two little boys squirm on the floor and play with toys and there were a few days I didn’t know if that would happen…if I would leave with two babies, one baby or no babies. I’m just really really thankful and David is too and our families for all the love and support that we received while we were there. It made a really traumatic situation a little easier and that’s something we’ll never be able to say thank you enough for!

What helped the Hall family?

  • Not having a two-hour drive or costly hotel stay.
  • They were close for moments when their baby boys were struggling to hold on.
  • The House was a home for the Hall family and a very difficult situation was made easier by having a “home away from home”.
  • To go take a nap while their parents stayed in the PICU with the boys.
  • “We actually had a bed with pillows and a shower, snacks and things like that.”
  • Homemade meals to come “home” to.

Thank you for your donation! It really does make a difference to families like the Hall’s to be near the medical services their sick children need and to feel secure when their lives have been turned upside down.