Lehi’s Ronald McDonald Family Room provides home away from home for families during medical hardships
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- Student volunteers from Lone Peak High School prepare meals inside the kitchen at Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children’s Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
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- The outside of Ronald McDonald House Charities’ Family Room inside the Primary Children’s Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi is pictured Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
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- A living room and dining area in the Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children’s Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi.
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- A bedroom in the new Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children’s Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi is pictured Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
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- Student volunteers from Lone Peak High School prepare meals inside the kitchen at Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children’s Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
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- A bedroom in the new Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children’s Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi.
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- A living room in the new Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children’s Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi.
The stress on a family of a child needing to undergo a medical operation and the possibility of an extended hospital stay can seem insurmountable.
That anxiety was heightened early last year for Rachel Willson when her daughter was born prematurely, leading to months of extensive testing and procedures.
Willson said her daughter, Kaya, was born at 23 weeks in February 2024 and spent eight months in a neonatal intensive care unit at Lehi’s Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.
Kaya was among the first newborns to receive care at the hospital’s NICU, as the Lehi facility just opened a week prior.
“She was the first to get a lot of the testing done down there,” Willson said.
The hospital’s newborn and pediatric ICUs are located on the third floor, where the Ronald McDonald House Family Room also sits nearby.
The 3,200-square-foot space provides various accommodations for families needing a place to stay while their children are being treated.
It includes rooms for individuals seeking a private nap or overnight sleep, laundry facilities, showers, a living room and a fully stocked kitchen with community-supported meals and snacks, among other amenities.
Willson said initially she didn’t know much about what the Ronald McDonald House does or the resources it provides.
“But then finding out that it was literally right across the hall with all these amenities that we could be taking advantage of — I was ecstatic, because I also have a 5-year-old daughter as well,” she said.
Willson, who was residing in south Utah County at the time, said her 5-year-old, Layla, would come to the hospital with her each day.
“The one thing that was super comforting to me was knowing that if she starts getting a little rambunctious, I can take her over to the family room at Ronald McDonald. She can go say hi to her friends there, get a snack (and) can find some toys to play with,” Willson said.
The Ronald McDonald Family Room provided a sense of hope and normalcy for Willson and her family during a difficult time.
“Knowing that I would have a free meal where I didn’t have to just run somewhere and get fast food, that really helped me a lot. I was able to use their sleep rooms multiple times, because there were some times where my daughter needed to have a surgery, and I needed to be right there,” Willson said.
Kaya was discharged from Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi in October but still requires hospitalization for viruses and sickness due to her developing a chronic lung disease.
The Ronald McDonald House Lehi Family Room opened in March 2024, and had served more than 2,000 families by the end of 2024. It is expected to exceed 3,000 families in 2025.
Already this year, the Lehi Ronald McDonald Family Room has served over 2,500 daily meals to guests, while their overnight sleep rooms are at 97% occupancy.
“The need is there,” said Ashley Parks, community engagement specialist at the Lehi facility. “Families are so grateful to be able to stay in a real bed, something different than the couch or recliner in their child’s room, but a real comfortable home-like space.”
Ronald McDonald House Charities is a nonprofit organization founded over 50 years ago that aims to support and improve the health and well-being of children, its website notes.
Its work relies heavily on financial and in-kind donations as well as community volunteers to assist with nutrition.
The Together at the Table volunteer program gives various organizations, students and groups the opportunity to plan, prepare and serve meals to families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
“Once you come in and do it for the first time, you’re hooked, because you see the families that come in and how grateful they are for this hot meal that they didn’t have to think about — it was just there waiting for them; and you’re able to interact with those families and just know that you were able to help families in crisis right in your neighborhood,” Parks said.
Ronald McDonald Houses receives 15% of its funding through McDonald’s when customers round up at the register and 85% from private and corporate donations.
The organization is looking to gather additional support in Utah County through several upcoming events — including an awareness luncheon at Thanksgiving Point on June 5 and a black-tie fundraising event at Sundance Mountain Resort in October.
“We know that this area is growing like crazy, and so unfortunately, that means that there are going to be more and more sick children in this area. That means that we need to expand our support to meet that need. And we’re really hoping for the support of the community to rally around (us) and help us to do that,” Parks said.
As for Willson, she said her daughter Kaya, now 1-year-old, continues to experience health challenges but is making strides.
While their family has since moved to Tremonton, she still travels to Lehi Primary’s Children Hospital for her daughter’s treatments.
The experience from staying in the Lehi Family Room inspired Willson to recently join the organization, serving as a member on their advisory board.
“I’m just eternally grateful for everything that they do, have done and that they still do for us and for all these amazing families,” she said.
For more information about Lehi’s Ronald McDonald Family Room, visit rmhcslc.org.
