'A second home': New rooms bring more refuge to families seeking medical treatment in Orlando

LAKE NONA, Fla. — Heston Dunnam's stomach doesn't work.

As a result, he spends 18 hours a day hooked up to a feeding tube and has spent days, weeks and countless holidays in the hospital.

During those times, his family, and thousands of others in Central Florida, find a home away from home at one of the three Ronald McDonald Houses in Orlando.

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As of Friday, nine more families each night can find refuge at the Ronald McDonald House in Lake Nona. After months of construction, the third-floor expansion is ready to open.

With the expansion, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida we will now be able to serve up to 84 families a night at its three facilities. And the organization said they're not done growing. They said the goal is to add 15 more rooms.

The average stay at the house for families is about 13 days and comes at no cost to them with meals included.

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Dunnam's family says the home allows them to focus on what's really important.

Five years ago, when he was just 4 years old, Heston, of Ocala, was diagnosed with a bone marrow failure disorder.

His mom said Heston is in and out of the hospital while he waits to find a bone marrow match.

"I have to get shots in both sides of my back for my bone marrow biopsy. And, when that happens, I can barely walk because of my back pain," Heston said.

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His mom said they live in Ocala but they come to Nemours Children's Hospital regularly for countless surgeries and procedures.

It takes two hours one way to get to the hospital and about $25 in tolls roundtrip.

"It's just hard to drive back and forth. Any parent can tell you. Especially when you are going through this," Dunnam said. "End of the day if you've had a not-so-great appointment and you are getting more bad than good news, it's frustrating."

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But once they found the Ronald McDonald House, she said things became somewhat bearable.

Dunnam calls the house a refuge. A place to rest without having to make the long-haul home.

"If you have to live this life, having a second home, makes it worth it," Dunnam said.

Cox Media Group