Family Stories

A mom wants nothing more than to have her family all together, especially on Mother’s Day. Every day of the year, the mission of the Ronald McDonald House is to give mothers like Caitlyn Rigsbee that wish. She and her husband Dustin are parents to three children and the newest addition to their family, Oakley,…

Mother’s Day is a time to thank the mothers in our lives for their unconditional love and support. It’s also a time for us to celebrate the unending strength and determination a mother has in taking care of her children, especially when they are sick or injured. Kaley Plunkett and her mom Dorinda Littrell have…

  Last fall, Aaron and Erika Parks of Dothan received news that would change their lives: they were having a girl! There was just one little difference:  the Parks had waited years to adopt and now they needed to get on a plane to go get their new addition! So they left their older children…

Globally, more than 40% of Ronald McDonald House families have a premature baby. Your support means so much to these new parents who are facing so many challenges and the scariest one of all is figuring out how to stay close to their baby fighting in the NICU. Read more about one of the families…

This Thursday, we’re highlighting the Karr family and their efforts to give back to the charity after a stay with us last year. Read more from Brooke Karr on their experience at the Ronald McDonald House! Tell me a little bit about how your family came to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. We were…

 Ma’kailyn Phillips-Betton isn’t quite 2-years-old yet but she’s fought through more than some adults. She was born with two heart defects and spent the first three months of her life in the hospital in Birmingham. As you could imagine, it was stressful and scary for her mother, Chiquita, to see her daughter that sick while…

Eboni and Emanuel Stephens truly know how much uncertainty, hope and joy families at the Ronald McDonald House go through. In February of 2015, they found themselves scrambling to make arrangements when their twins, Emery and Emanuel Jr. were born prematurely. After the twins were admitted to the NICU at Brookwood Hospital, traveling every day…

Three-year-old Geonni Johnson has a huge heart and lots of spirit. Her mom says Geonni likes won’t say goodbye to you without lots of hugs and kisses first! So her parents knew something was wrong this past summer when that spirit started to flag. The family had been out of town for Labor Day weekend…

In late July, most families are caught up in the back to school rush. In the Leverett household, mom Vanessa had no peace of mind. Her 6-year-old son, Christian, was about to enter the first grade but Vanessa noticed a strange knot on the back of his head. Something was telling her this was wrong…

Baby Jasper is a miracle. His mother, Alisha, thought she would never be able to carry a child of her own due to several health issues. She got the surprise of her life when she was at the ER earlier this year for a different reason. “One night I had a cold and went to…

Many of the families who come to stay at the Birmingham Ronald McDonald House never expect to be here. “You see the donation boxes in McDonald’s with the Ronald McDonald House on them, you drop your change in, but you’d never know it might be a blessing to you,” Shnika Love said. Now, Shnika knows…

Life is full of unexpected moments. For Cheltzey and Nich Clements, the first was finding each other and falling in love when they both worked at the same grocery store. Cheltzey already had a young daughter, Addalynn, but she and Nich knew they wanted another child. Last year, they found out the joyous news that…

Our latest family story is from the Hornes, who traveled all the way from Fairhope so daughter Katelynn could see the doctors at Children’s of Alabama. RMHCA is grateful our House can accommodate families of five like the Hornes: Dad Brett, Mom Heather, and their kids Katelynn, Emmalynn and Keith! Our first stay at the…

It’s not uncommon for RMHCA guest families to meet and realize they’re from the same area of Alabama. Sometimes, they might even have known of each other before coming to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, as is the case with the Bond and Vandiver families. Even more amazing is how the Colbert County community…

Did you know? Globally, more than 40% of the families served at Ronald McDonald Houses have a child in the NICU. D’Niah is one of those sweet babies. We’re honored to share her family’s story, as written by her mother, Commish. On Tuesday March 27, 2018 I went in for my routine check up only…