Jacob's RMH Story
Brian Koenig is not the only House staff member to have had a positive experience with Ronald McDonald House Charities. Six years ago this month Chicago House Assistant Coach, Jacob Rutledge and his wife, Tai, welcomed their first child into the world. However, they weren’t quite ready as Stella surprised them by arriving six weeks early.
“I didn’t even think I was in labor, I was in denial. They had to rush me there and force me to go in because I was like, ‘This is not happening, I’m not having this baby today,” Tai insisted. “To call myself a control freak would be an understatement. I had a plan, I knew what it was going to be like and obviously after having a child, especially one six weeks early, that is not the way things are going to play out for you.”
The family was living in Arkansas at the time and received services from a local Ronald McDonald House Charity. In this particular hospital, the Ronald McDonald House Facility was directly above where they were staying with Stella in the NICU.
“Jacob and I were in her NICU room every day for three weeks. Fortunately, I could take the stairs up one flight to the Ronald McDonald House – they had food, they had people who volunteered to provide food every night for us either home cooked or take out and it was better food than I’d get at home,” she said. “They kept the refrigerator stocked with healthy food, with junk food and they had a pantry - we had access to everything. Each room was like a little apartment, we had our own bathroom and bedroom. I would not leave her, I refused to leave. So, the convenience of being able to go upstairs to lay down, have some privacy and have someplace that felt like home to me was unbelievably meaningful our mental health and well-being.”
Access to healthcare and proximity for family members of patients is the hallmark of what Ronald McDonald Houses provide. In addition to housing and meals the Houses also provide laundry, making certain families can use all of their time and energy focusing on their loved one and healing as a family.
“When we were getting ready to leave, I was panicking,” Tai continued. “I didn’t know what I was going to do because they had been taking such good care of me at the Ronald McDonald House and the hospital. I cried and hugged everyone on the way out.”
The House has such a significant impact on the family that they have found a special way to pay it forward. Every year on Stella’s birthday, March 28th which she happens to share with her dad, and on holidays they donate a meal and stock the pantry throughout the year. Additionally, they and their extended family volunteered with their local chapter in Arkansas.
“We were part of a local chapter and there was a gala that was a fundraiser every year, my mother in-law and I volunteered on the planning committee to help execute that,” said Tai. “I want to figure out how to get involved in Naperville and Illinois with Ronald McDonald House, too, because it changed our lives.”
Jacob and Tai were fortunate that their stay was a short one and all worked out well for their daughter. “Fortunately for us, our daughter was reasonably healthy. You walk through that place and you see people going through the scariest and most devastating times of their lives, and Ronald McDonald House is a ray of hope. Now for us, we want to support them in any way we can,” Tai said.
Tai is expecting the family’s second child on April 25th, a baby boy. “You never forget, but going through this process again has reminded me how much they changed our lives and were so meaningful for us, so we’ve got to get back in it.”
Each night RMHC-CNI accommodates 172 families in the Chicagoland area. The cost of each stay is $95. The charity relies on individual and corporate donations to cover 70% of their costs. Partnering with organizations like Chicago House for special events like the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match on March 22nd helps them reach that goal. After the team’s tournament run, the game-worn jerseys that were made specially for the match featuring the Ronald McDonald House logo will be auctioned with proceeds benefiting the charity. They will also receive half of the advanced ticket sales from the match. Future collaborations with RMHC-CNI will be announced in the future.