Ronald McDonald House to open in Medicine Hat

By Gillian Slade on April 8, 2019.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com
@MHNGillianSlade

By the end of the year a Ronald McDonald House will open in Medicine Hat near the hospital thanks to a generous donation by the Yuill Family Foundation.

“It will provide a home away from home for sick children and their family while receiving medical care at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital,” said Jason Evanson, CEO Ronald McDonald House Charity Alberta.

An existing older house at Fourth Street SW and Sixth Avenue, near the entrance to the new ambulatory wing of MHRH, has been incorporated in the design of a 4,100-square-foot home providing six private family suites, a communal kitchen, utility area, laundry room and games room. It will provide accommodation for those coming to Medicine Hat for medical treatment or day services for families already living in the Hat.

The Yuill Family Foundation provided $800,000 to cover construction costs.

“(We) try to make this community as best you can,” said Bill Yuill, noting there will be ongoing support for the project.

Maureen Fowler knows only too well what a Ronald McDonald House can mean to a family undergoing medical treatment.

On Dec. 16, 2017 her son Aiden, five years old at the time, was diagnosed with tumours in his jaw. Two days later in a tragic event Aiden collided with her in the kitchen and was burned with a hot liquid. He was airlifted in a fixed wing air ambulance to Calgary for treatment and surgeries over nine weeks.

By January 2018 Aiden had achieved outpatient status and being able to stay in Ronald McDonald House meant the family could be together, reduce travelling time and costs.

Medicine Hat’s Ronald McDonald House is the fourth in Alberta after Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer.

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