Case studies

Family stay strong

Amana was born on the 1st December 2009 and is Shella and Desire’s first child. Due to an Exomphalos (a weakness of the baby’s abdominal wall where the umbilical cord joins it) Amana arrived 10 weeks premature. As a result of complications, she has undergone several operations requiring specialist care in both the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and more recently in the High Dependency Unit.

It is a journey that has been very demanding for the whole family but one that both Shella and Desire have approached with great strength, patience, courage, resilience and endless amounts of goodwill.

The couple have spoken a lot about the benefits of having a room at Ronald McDonald House Camberwell. Getting some respite from the heavy demands of the ward is very important, being able to gain a small amount of freedom and privacy and having a place to cook and do the laundry is also a great help. Being able to get to know other families staying at the house who are dealing with similar challenges is another big help.

Shella says: “It’s wonderful to share the house with other families. The mutual social support with the other families in the same situation keeps us going. But above all being just a short five minute walk away from Amana, is something so valuable.”

The family have been staying at Ronald McDonald House Camberwell since 4 December 2009.