Ronald McDonald Family Rooms

The Boruta family are long-time friends of the Family Room. From birth, Davydko could not breathe independently, and he underwent the first surgery in Ukraine to have a stimulator implanted. The baby spent his entire first year of life in the hospital. It was in the Family Room that he took his first steps and smiled for the first time.

We provided food packages to families like Nataliia’s, who were forced to flee Sievierodonetsk. “We hid with the children in a school basement for several weeks. It was cold and dark. We cooked food outside during breaks between shelling. But when the back wall of the school collapsed from another explosion, I realized we had to run. We ran under bullets whistling over our heads. Now we are in a safe place, and the foundation’s food package helped us eat for several days.”

“I haven’t felt this cozy and calm in a long time as I do here in the Family Room,” says Ferida. She and her son Amet are Crimean Tatars who left their home in Kherson region after the start of the full-scale invasion and moved to Lviv region. The boy needs serious treatment, so his mother is always nearby — in the Family Room.

Little Renata was born with hydrocephalus. Those who have heard of this diagnosis know that the probability of walking with it is almost zero. But in the Family Room, the girl took her first steps!

Bohdan lives 30 km from Bakhmut. The boy has cerebral palsy and has had a fear of being left alone since kindergarten. That is why his mother and father are always by his side. Bohdan is showing good results, and it is important for him not to stop his rehabilitation. Thanks to the Ronald McDonald House program, the family will be able to focus on rehabilitation at Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt without spending money on housing.

Milana has thrombocytopenia, which can appear at any age and disappear at any time. Doctors are constantly trying to determine the cause, but it is very difficult. Milana has frequent relapses, and when they occur, urgent hospitalization is needed. At the Ronald McDonald House that we will build on the territory of NSCH “Okhmatdyt,” the girl will be able to live with her mother while undergoing rehabilitation at the hospital.

“We are a young family who became parents for the first time. But from the very moment our child was born, trials began — our little Esmira’s surgery in the first hours after birth. Thanks to the Family Room, we see our daughter improving. This is the best thing that could be done for families who are far from home but can be close to their child at the hospital. We stay in a private room. Excellent conditions, comfortable bedrooms, convenient kitchen. Everything to feel at home.”

Viktoriia has been staying at the hospital for a long time with her two sons – Artem and Ivan. For more than a year, they have been guests of the Family Room and have become our true friends. This is a difficult period for the family, as they still do not know what happened to their protector – their father. He went missing in the war, and this year the boys’ greatest wish was for their father to return and spend the holidays with them. “We are very grateful to the Family Room for the opportunity to rest and for the support during this extremely difficult time for us.”

“I was amazed by the incredible comfort in the Family Room. Despite the challenges we face with our child in the hospital, this is the perfect place where you feel at home. This is especially important for sick children: laughter is always heard here.
We are grateful to the foundation for taking care of parents so we can take care of our children. May there be as many Family Rooms as possible.”