When Hannah Danielle Bee was born into the world on New Year’s Day 1997, she was 11 weeks early and weighed a fragile two pounds. Her original due date was Saint Patrick’s Day.

“It was touch and go for awhile, as you can imagine,” says her mother, Lori Bee, who had given birth via Caesarean section at the Cabell-Huntington Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia, close to an hour drive from their home in Hurricane,WV, and nearly four hours from the rest of their family in North Central West Virginia.   

Desperate to be with her newborn daughter every day, Lori initially was staying at the home of one of the physicians caring for her daughter. Her husband, Chris, had to return to his work in sales which involved many days and nights, away, but was necessary to pay for the staggering medical costs.

“There were no hotels within walking distance and in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) there are not even chairs to sleep in a room -- it was a big open space loaded with other sick babies,” Lori says. “Due to the C-section and the fact I wasn’t able to drive back and forth to see Hannah, I needed a place to stay.”

“Then one of my doctors informed me of the Ronald McDonald House located at the other end of the parking lot, and they took me in,” Lori says.

With the emotional and financial strains put on her family, a “home away from home” located a short walk away from the hospital was the answer to her prayers. “What a tremendous blessing as it was not only a room, but a refuge and a source of comfort,” she says. Lori would go on to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Huntington West Virginia for close to 5 weeks.

The staff and other families during her stay at the Ronald McDonald House assisted her in the difficult time she was going through, since she was separated from most of her family, who lived too far away to help. “The support of the staff, volunteers and other parents willing to share your tears and share your good news as well was incredible.” In a situation that not many can relate to, “the house that love built” was there for her in a desperate time of need. 

Lori says that the ability to “share or not share” every aspect of her situation made the Ronald McDonald House ideal for her. “No one could relate to what I was going through; to call friends and family crying, they just couldn’t relate to it, and didn’t really want to hear about it all of the time,” she said. 

Looking back, Lori believes that the ability to stay at the Ronald McDonald House was a huge blessing in her daughter’s battle to survive. “My ability to be there made such an impact on Hannah’s health because we were there. She was always being held.”

Today, Hannah is an exuberant nine-year-old, an avid equestrian and involved in Girls On The Run program. “To say she is strong is an understatement!” Lori says proudly. “We are blessed that both of our children are healthy and happy. We pray that they always will be.”

The care and love that she found at the Ronald McDonald House had a lasting and profound impact on Lori, who thinks back now upon many families who could not find a way to be with their infants every day. “There were a lot of premature and seriously ill babies in the NICU, and many of these babies didn’t always have someone holding them. We were very fortunate,” she says.

Recently, Lori found a way to give back, joining a steering committee working to bring a Ronald McDonald House to Charlotte. “When we moved to Charlotte, we were stunned that we didn’t have one,” she said.

The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte will primarily serve children being treated at Carolinas Medical Center’s new Levine Children’s Hospital and expanded pediatric practices at Presbyterian Hospital. Plans call for a facility with a minimum of 21 private suites and bedrooms along with culturally sensitive family kitchens, great room, learning center, playground and sitting porch.

“I am proud to be involved with bringing this excellent facility to Charlotte. I don’t believe there is anything more stressful in life than having a sick child, and the Ronald McDonald House helps minister to families and their children in so many ways, providing shelter, food, and most importantly comfort and support.”