Yoselin didn’t expect for her baby to arrive four weeks early, but when he did, she was glad to be able to deliver at Cooper Hospital, where her son received specialized medical care in the NICU right after birth. For a week, she commuted from Atlantic City to the hospital on a crowded bus, just to be by his side. Her luck changed when a room became available at the House, and she was given the keys to comfort only steps away from her little warrior. “I didn’t want to leave my baby. I was so worried about him, about nursing, about being a good mom that I would rather have stayed up all night than leave him to go so far away.”

For Yoselin, all the services that the House provides are important –  the comfortable bed that she is able to enjoy after a long day at the hospital, the donated detergent that is readily available for her to wash her baby’s blankets, the complimentary snacks at the Family Room – they all have changed her life for the better. “When I tell Yandriel about his birth story and the first few months of his life, I will tell him that the Ronald McDonald House provided his first steps towards healing.” As a new mom, Yoselin credits the Family Room at Cooper Hospital with giving her the needed nourishment and relaxing space to take care of herself so she can better care for Yandriel. “I am so grateful for everyone who gives so that I can be close to my child. My bed at the House, my rest and my presence at my child’s side is guaranteed by the generosity of people who are willing to give. I will never know them but I will always thank them in my heart.“