After completing two glorious years, Ronald McDonald House Charities have made a special place in the hearts of people across the country. In 2016, RMHC opened its doors to children in the Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital in Mumbai. A special space in the hospital where the children can play and the parents can relax, the RMHC Family Room was a cheerful addition to an otherwise morbid environment of the hospital. Parents that come from far off places to treat their children at the hospital were tired by the time they reach the destination as well the kids but with the family room, they find a place to relax and the children can nap or play. Various families that frequent the RMHC family room come from remote areas and rural locations in India and due to lack of health care facilities have to make the long distance travel. The room provides the ideal place to catch a break between the travel and the doctor’s appointments and different tests.
However, the RMHC India is far more than just a room, in fact it is a little piece of utopia where people can rejuvenate. It is a space that is clear off the sanitizing smells of a typical hospital instead, an aura of happiness is in the air. The bright and happy place allows a child to remain a child and do things that they love to do. They take part in painting classes, music sessions and dance rehearsals that makes the kids forget about their ailments and sickness for a while. And not just that, the children make friends with whom they share toys, tie Rakhi, play holi and pose for pictures as well.
The best part about the RMHC family room is that, while it is a place for the kids, it is the parents that have the most amount of respite. The parents of the sick children who travel from far off places to treat the kids with good health care can be seen sitting in peace. While their children play and participate in co-curricular activities, they watch them and are able to catch a breath in their busy day. They also get to interact with other parents and find a sense of comfort sharing their happiness and grief. There is also art based therapy sessions for the parents in which they can participate to take their mind off things. They are encouraged and motivated to keep going on.
In the past two years RMHC India has been able to bring smiles to the faces of hundreds of kids and their parents and they hope to keep doing so in the future. They aim to spread happiness through love and support and we hope that they continue to do so in the years to come.
So, the next time you see an RMHC Family room in a hospital in McDonald’s (West and South) make sure to give a small donation for you know that the money is going to bring smiles to the faces of sick kids and tired parents.