Nate's 3rd Birthday

Ends: August 31, 2023

3 Years 40+ Hospital Admissions 2 Heart Surgeries at SickKids 2 Other Surgeries at McMaster Dozens of ICU Admissions Hundreds of IV pokes 12 stays at Ronald McDonald House. During Nate’s first year of life he spent more time admitted to a hospital than he did at home - in his first year alone he spent 265 days in a hospital. Nate has endured more pain and suffering in his first 3 years than most adults will in a lifetime. With that pain and suffering came a huge toll to our family as it often meant needing to pivot our entire life to help Nate get better - something we are forever grateful to Ronald McDonald House for, our home away from home. Ronald McDonald House has been our saving grace, our second home, and many of the staff and volunteers have become like family to us. Having a place to call home for the lengthy hospital admissions is something we can never ever pay back, but we want to do our best to pay it forward. Our family never fully understood the impact RMH had on families until we stayed there. They not only provided us with meals and a place to stay but they provided us the opportunity to keep Nate’s older brother Miles close by his brother, allowing us to stay connected as a family to help Nate get better. In fact, Miles has celebrated 3 out of his 4 birthdays at RMH and each time has been spoiled by the staff and volunteers there who make sure he’s felt extra special. We’ve spent 2 Christmases there and an endless amount of other holidays. Having a home away from the hospital where you can recharge and nourish yourself with meals and rest - the 2 most basic things every parent of a sick child lacks while they're in hospital truly means the world. RMH is more than just a place to lay your head, it's a place where you can have a tiny bit of normalcy and experience moments of joy amidst some of the hardest days you're facing as a family. If we can’t pay it back, we will always try to pay it forward. Thank you to everyone for donating to this amazing organization as we celebrate our little fighter Nate.