Chuck & Lupita Riley, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, stayed at our MercyOne House from March through July 2022 for a total of 104 nights while their son Leland received care in the MercyOne NICU.
At 27 weeks pregnant, Lupita was not feeling well. She went to her OB in Fort Dodge where she learned she had a very high protein count. She was then transferred to MercyOne in Des Moines and diagnosed with severe preeclampsia.
She delivered their son, Leland, prematurely at 28 weeks. Leland was born with chronic lung disease and IUGR, a condition where the baby does not grow in the womb as big as expected for the stage of the mother's pregnancy.
With some extra help from the MercyOne NICU team, the Riley family was able to return home as a family after staying at the Ronald McDonald House for over 3 months.
Lupita said, "It helped tremendously staying at Ronald McDonald House. We live an hour and a half away. We did not have to stress with the financial aspect which we will be forever grateful for. We were also provided meals which helped. We were able to afford to continue to buy baby necessities and I was able to quit my job and stay with Leland through this entire journey thanks to RMH!"