Spring 2023
From Our House to
YOURS Family Story
The Filipi Family On September 5, 2010, Ben and Tracy Filipi welcomed their twin boys Dallas and Adrian into the world. The twins were born 8 weeks premature after their mother underwent an emergency C-Section. This began a month-long NICU journey for the family. Ben and Tracy had been married for six years and were already experienced parents when they welcomed their twin boys. Their daughter Lilliana was born two years prior, but sadly passed away at 15 months old–just one year before the couple welcomed their twins. Although the couple was excited for the birth of their boys, nothing could prepare even these seasoned parents for the challenges an early delivery and subsequent NICU stay would bring. Dallas and Adrian were admitted to the NICU at MeritCare, now Sanford, over two hours away from their family home in Bemidji, MN. While in the hospital, Adrian and Dallas required ventilators to breathe, isolettes to stay warm, and temporary feeding tubes while they learned how to eat.
The boys continued to gain weight and strength as they called the NICU “home” for a month, and were finally released on their one-month birthday. Ben and Tracy spent those early days navigating the challenges and triumphs of parenthood all while juggling the complications of receiving medical care miles from home. Ben would commute back to Bemidji during the week to work, and would return to Fargo and enjoy weekends with Tracy and the boys. For Ben, having the Ronald McDonald House meant everything. “It took a large load off my mind knowing that [Tracy] was safe and taken care of while being present for our boys,” Ben said. Back at the House, Tracy enjoyed the short walks to and from the hospital each day. “Knowing there was a hot meal and friendly faces waiting back at the house made the long days less lonely,” she said. Ben remembers how friendly, inviting, and peaceful the Ronald McDonald House was when he joined the family on weekends. “We stayed at the house when it was on north Broadway in a very quiet neighborhood. When I stayed the night, it was so quiet and felt like home,” he said. He also recalls the excitement the staff shared with the couple every time they received an update on Dallas and Adrian. Continued on pg. 2
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