Kristen Phipps and her husband Brian planned to celebrate Mother’s Day at home in Lima with their two children. They couldn’t have foreseen that their world would turn upside down that same day.
Kristen’s water broke just 22 weeks into her third pregnancy. She rushed to the local emergency room. She reflected that the doctor told them, “We can just let you hold her until, you know, she passes.” Neo-natal units in Columbus and Cincinnati were full. Toledo’s Ebeid Children’s Hospital had availability and dispatched a LifeFlight helicopter team to fly Kristen to Toledo and try to save her unborn child.
Kristen remained hospitalized for three more weeks before Lana was born. It was just the first step on an exceedingly long journey. The drive between Lima and the hospital was an hour and a half each way. Not a practical daily commute for Brian and Lana’s older siblings. The Phipps family needed to be close to the hospital where Lana would remain for nearly five months due to complications.
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The nurses recommended they “be sure to check into the Ronald McDonald house.” Toledo’s Ronald McDonald House has 28 guest rooms, a play area, and cafeteria serving between 500-1,000 families annually. Not all guests stay overnight but many do. In 2024, no one stayed there longer than the Phipps family. The 38,000-square-foot facility is steps away from the hospital. The close proximity helps parents deal with the stresses of a critically ill child. “They come through the doors on arguably the worst day of their life,” explained Executive Director Chad Bringman. “Where are we going to stay? Where are we going to eat? What’s this going to cost? All of the things that the young family is dealing with. And to watch that melt away when they come in and realize that we’re going to be close, we’re going to be able to talk to the doctor and the nurse anytime we need to…we’re not paying anything to stay here because this incredible community takes care of that for us.”
Lana was born 15 weeks prematurely. She was intubated immediately, experienced bowel perforation, and later her lungs collapsed. Kristen will be forever grateful. “I don’t know that we would have survived it without the Ronald McDonald House. They still love our kids; they get excited to see us and they’ve been cheering us on the whole time. It was a huge difference…and also a sense of community with other parents that were going through different things with their kids.”
The original house opened in 1982. The replacement building opened in 2015. Bringham explained, “We want people to walk in the door and feel like they’re at home.” That’s precisely what happened when the Phipps family stayed there for 150 days. Almost two years later, Lana is doing well. She still relies on a feeding tube but is making huge strides. Kristen describes their experience as a miracle. “Everyone was fantastic!”
Website: rmchtoledo.org. The Ronald McDonald House is funded entirely by donations.
