Hana uses a wheelchair after surviving brain cancer as a child (“We are survivors,” says dad Sameh, fondly). Most recently she stayed at the House for 6 weeks, after having specialized surgery on her legs that she could not get in her family’s hometown of Calgary. Staying in a place that was fully wheelchair accessible was a must for the family – something that RMH BC was able to accommodate to help facilitate Hana’s recovery.

Staying at the House helped to take care of all their practical concerns while they were far from home. They were relieved to know that they could be at the hospital in 5 minutes in case of emergency, and also relieved that they didn’t need to worry about finding wheelchair accessible transportation to get to their appointments. They were surprised to find out about all the services that were available in the House every day, from meals to cleaning, with every detail tailored to families’ comfort. “Everything is in place,” says Sameh. “RMH is all about making your life easy.”

Staying at RMH BC also helped to ease their day-to-day emotional burden while recovering from a major surgery far from home. They took comfort in the supportive community they found with other families who all understood what they were going through. “The other families are all so different, we speak different languages, have different backgrounds, but we all have one goal: saving our children and surviving,” says Iman. Sameh agrees: “After a couple of days, you feel at home, you don’t feel homesickness.”

At the House, Hana was able to fill her day with creative activities that helped take mind off things and escape boredom, such as art therapy and music therapy. And it was the little things every day that helped lift them up. Iman remembers spending Thanksgiving Day in the hospital with Hana and craving the comfort of a turkey dinner – and then the joy she felt when she found out that there was a turkey dinner being served at RMH BC that very night! “These things are very important for your mental health, being stuck like this,” says Sameh.

Iman, Sameh and Hana all credit the House for helping them to keep their positive outlook. “When you are recovering, you need support, you need love, but most importantly, you need peace and quiet,” says Iman. Sameh adds, “When you have a crisis, people can overreact and it can overwhelming, but here you can have both support and peace.” At the House they found they were able to focus on healing and live one day at a time, and after their stay felt energized and ready for the coming six months – which will come with new treatments and new challenges. They believe they speak for themselves and many other families when they say, “We couldn’t do it without RMH!”

Once they are back in Calgary and in good health, the Hassans are keen to get involved with their local Ronald McDonald House, volunteer and give back.
When asked what they would like people to know about Ronald McDonald House? The family agrees: “It’s the best place you can be in when you are going through crisis and hardship. This should be in every city, and in every country. The House is very much a human thing: human to human. If you need an example of humanity, take a snapshot of everything that is happening here.”