After NICU and following a short few weeks at home Alfie was readmitted to hospital and was very quickly transferred via an emergency ambulance to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. We would be there for the next 6 months. 

We hadn't slept, eaten or moved from Alfies bedside for days. We couldn't go home as we were too far away should Alfies condition deteriorate or, god forbid, the unthinkable should happened. We were exhausted........and then we were told there was a room for us in Ronald McDonald House. 

After days of blue lights and sirens, emergency buzzers, machines and ventilators alarming, tears and prayers.......we arrived in what would soon become our home away from home. 

Stepping through that gate into the gardens of the house was like stepping into another world. We were met with warm friendly faces in a quiet comfortable haven. We were able to rest and recharge after the intensity of the PICU - with the reassurance that we have a direct line to Alfies bedside phone in our room. With kitchen and laundry facilities we could do our washing and then cook dinner and try to have a hour or two a day that could resemble a sence of normality (whatever that was!). 

The staff became family and they would celebrate our good days and listen and offer kind words on our bad days. We were surrounded by other parents and families who understood our journey - and so you didn't feel quite so alone anymore. 

In total we spent around 6 months at Ronald McDonald House. Having a child who is critically ill is one of the most unthinkable and heartbreaking experiences for a family......and then through your tears and exhaustion an extended hand offers you a kindness that cannot be measured. Ronald McDonald House kept us close to our precious boy, they helped us to stay strong for him and for that we will be forever grateful 🙏❤️ 

Please help us to raise money to support Ronald McDonald House Glasgow to do for other families what they have done for ours. I pray that none of you will ever have to experience what we have....but if you do, know that you will never be alone thanks to Ronald McDonald House.