2026 F A M I L Y
P R O F I L E
Brown Family Home: Mt. Vernon, MO (Lawrence County)
“When our daughter was born, she was
having trouble breathing. We were told her lungs hadn’t been given the opportunity to fully expand and open the air sacs. Because of this, Leanna could only be fed through a feeding tube and was placed in the NICU at Cox South on a CPAP machine. Her father and I were very scared, as she is our first child, and the thought of leaving her, especially while living about 45 minutes away in the middle of winter, with storms expected was unbearable. The hospital told us about the Ronald McDonald House and said they would give them our information. The Ronald McDonald House was generous enough to welcome us with open arms while our little girl was in the hospital. They did everything they possibly could to make us feel like we weren’t alone and helped make our situation a little more bearable. They provided us with a room that had a comfy bed and a private bathroom. They always had snacks available and a hot meal every night. We were also always welcome to use the kitchen and everything in it. To say we are extremely grateful is an understatement. Without the Ronald McDonald House, we would have had to leave our baby and travel the 45 minutes home in the middle of winter storms just to get the smallest amount of sleep, or we would have had to spend money on a hotel and food every day during the week Leanna was in the NICU. Leanna’s father and I vowed that every year around the holidays, we would either cook a meal or have one catered to help pay it forward and show just how grateful we are for the support and kindness we received during the hardest reality we ever imagined facing after having our baby. While we know we can never truly repay the Ronald McDonald House for everything they did for us, we can at least support them so they can continue providing this service to families facing similar, or even more difficult, circumstances.”
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