Pediatric patients undergoing treatment for serious illnesses such as cancer were excited to see that the Ronald McDonald House “Family Room” within Kings County Hospital had been transformed into a winter wonderland.
Volunteers from Macy’s took several days to adorn the hospital’s family room with a Christmas tree, snowflakes and more festive decorations in order to bring some holiday cheer to patients and their families.
The Ronald McDonald House is an organization which provides temporary housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families. It has served over 59,000 families across all five New York City boroughs, across the country and internationally since the organization was founded in 1979.
The Ronald McDonald House also offers families wellness programs, transportation, educational tutors, activities for siblings and other specialized support to ensure that families are taken care of along with their sick loved ones.
To date, the organization has partnered with eight leading healthcare systems, including Kings County Hospital, to better serve families with children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses such as cancer. The Ronald McDonald House Family Room within the East Flatbush medical center offers laundry services, mail delivery, relaxation session, and more.
With their help, Ronald McDonald House reps said in a release, families get to “focus on what’s most important: their time together and beating their child’s disease.”
Ruth C. Browne, president, and CEO of Ronald McDonald House New York, said initiatives like this “go a long way.”
“We are so grateful to the Macy’s team for partnering with us to provide beautiful holiday decorations at our House on East 73rd Street in Manhattan and in our Family Rooms within Elmhurst and Kings County Hospitals. These festive touches go a long way to uplift the children’s spirits, and make these spaces feel more like home for families as they receive treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses during the holiday season,” said Browne said in a statement to Brooklyn Paper. “Through our partnerships with eight leading healthcare systems in New York City, Ronald McDonald House New York works closely with local hospitals to ensure that patients are receiving support and care through various social programs, and initiatives like this help us to further our mission of ensuring health equity and providing much-needed resources, relief and normalcy for these families.”
