Right at Home in the Ronald McDonald House

The Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House (LLRMH) provides a sanctum for families to be closer to their children while they are in intensive care or receiving life saving treatments. “I didn’t expect to walk into a home. I expected to walk into a facility,” Gloria Duran said. “They get to know you as a family. I don’t know what I would have done without the Ronald McDonald House.” Duran went on to say that their stay at the Ronald McDonald House was a healthy experience for their family that allowed them to spend quality time together. Duran was a guest at the LLRMH a total of four times while her daughter Esperanza, who was diagnosed with cancer in July, was treated. The Ronald McDonald House brings families together who are sharing common struggles and provides them with many services that help them through their time of need. Michael Kovack, executive director of the LLRMH, explained that the need in the community for the services they offer is far heavier than what the LLRMH can currently provide. The average stay at the LLRMH is seven to 10 days. They have a total of 17 referring hospitals and 11,975 people volunteer their time each year. Many of the families who are served live up to 50 miles away from the Loma Linda location. Kovack emphasized that they serve all of the Inland Empire. Many families must commute over an hour to get to the hospital. This expansion is one small step towards reaching the needs of the entire community and all of the families who want to be close to their children as they receive health care. “We currently use many hotels to accommodate families when we don’t have availability in the Ronald McDonald House,” said Kovack. “Even when we use the hotels, we still have to turn away hundreds of families each year. We have to do what we can to meet the needs of the community.” While the hotels are effective in bringing the families closer to the hospital, they are missing what Gloria Duran would consider the most important part of what the house offers – the love and support inside the walls of the Ronald McDonald House. Tom and Candy Spiel, among other contributors, were instrumental in the construction of the first Ronald McDonald House in Loma Linda and are looking to help with the current expansion effort. It was this type of need that attracted the Spiels in the first place. “There were parents who were sleeping on the floor; they are sleeping on chairs in the hallways. There wasn’t even a decent chair in the room for them to sleep on,” said Candy, recalling a visit to the Loma Linda Hospital and the moment when she first realized that they were in need of a Ronald McDonald House. She went on to comment on seeing the Ronald McDonald House come to fruition. “It was really the help of all the McDonalds owner-operators in Southern California. It was a labor of love; it was never a chore.” Candy is looking to find that same motivation in the community this time around, “I hope the same thing happens. I hope people see the tremendous need for the families with children in the local hospitals.” On Jan. 18, 2015, the Grand Terrace McDonald's, owned by Tom and Candy, will be donating 20 percent of their grand opening sales to the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House expansion in an effort to help the foundation qualify for the $5 million match of funds donation. We only need 1.1 million to achieve this. If you or any one you know would like to participate please contact Mike Kovack at 909-558-8338.