RMH

Few things bond people faster than crisis. It’s something Bill and Lindsay Brent discovered in September 2014 after their three-month-old son, Nathan, was diagnosed with serious liver and heart defects. While Nathan spent months as an in-patient at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), his parents and two-year-old brother, Andrew, moved from Barrie to Ronald McDonald House Toronto (RMH Toronto), where they’ve found more support and camaraderie than they ever could’ve imagined.

“On one of our first nights here, another dad showed me how to use the stove,” says Bill. “That’s how we began chatting, and now we can honestly say that he and his wife will be our lifelong friends. It’s amazing how quickly you can connect and establish trust because of this shared experience.”

That shared experience allows them to offer support in ways others simply can’t.

“We’re blessed to receive support from our friends and family, but they struggle to know what to say or how to help us,” says Lindsay. “Here at RMH Toronto, every parent can relate to how we’re feeling. We know that if we’re having a good day, someone else might’ve just received bad news. So just a simple smile or a nod between parents can say so much.”

The Brents do more than just smile and nod to other families. When a fellow dad’s child was experiencing a medical downturn, Bill stayed up playing Playstation with him until 3 a.m. When an expectant mom went into labour, Lindsay (a photographer) was there to document the delivery. And when some RMH Toronto friends recently lost their daughter, the Brents were there to offer comfort at the wake. 

That kindness is continually repaid to them, for which the Brents are very grateful.

“We’ve always been a family who likes to give back,” says Bill. “Now that we’re experiencing setbacks of our own, we’re learning how to accept help in return. Here at RMH Toronto, help is only ever a few rooms away.”

At the end of January, eight-month-old Nathan was released from the hospital and joined his family at the House. He is waiting for a liver transplant, after which doctors also hope to repair his heart. Once a donor is identified, Nathan will become the first baby at SickKids, and possibly the world, to receive a liver transplant with an unrepaired heart.

The waiting and uncertainty is wearing on the Brents, making it difficult for them to plan ahead. They can’t know what the future will bring, but in the meantime, they’re grateful to be surrounded by welcoming faces at their “home away from home.”

“RMH Toronto doesn’t just keep families together. It unites families of sick children and they become your family too.”