Family separated from newborn finds hope at Ronald McDonald House
Baby Alaska, born nine weeks early at 1.8kg, stayed in NICU for 52 days while Ronald McDonald House kept the family together.
Kody-Leigh McGlone's third pregnancy seemed normal until Easter Sunday 2024, when waters broke at only 31 weeks, over an hour from Canberra Hospital. Baby Alaska arrived weighing just 1.8kg and went straight to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Kody-Leigh could hold her only five minutes twice a day. Kody-Leigh was discharged Wednesday but Alaska stayed in NICU for 52 days.
A social worker told her about Ronald McDonald House, a facility for families with sick children, but it had a waiting list. A few days later, a receptionist who knew Kody-Leigh from kindergarten told her a room had opened.
The family moved in and stayed 47 days, with meals provided several nights a week and volunteers playing with the older children. Alaska came home healthy on May 22, 2024, the couple's third wedding anniversary.
Today, Alaska is a thriving two-year-old.
- 1.8 kilograms
- Birth weight
- 52 days
- NICU stay
- 47 days
- Ronald McDonald House stay
- 31 weeks
- Gestational age at birth
Why it mattersPremature birth can be devastating and isolating; Ronald McDonald House keeps families together during the hardest weeks, reducing the emotional toll of hospital crisis.
AustraliaAustralian families facing extended NICU stays now have a facility in Canberra where they can stay close to their baby and keep siblings together without daily long-distance travel.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 h ago
