Hi!

My name is Tatum Elizabeth Kelly and I lived at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville for ten weeks when my little brother JD was born early at 28 weeks on February 23, 2008. He only weighed one pound and twelve ounces… he was tiny. We live a long way from Nashville so it was impossible to drive back and forth everyday to see JD.

Mom and Dad knew exactly where to go when he decided to come early because they were already very familiar with the Nashville Ronald McDonald House. Three years ago they had to stay because, like my brother, I also decided to come into the world at only 28 weeks. My lungs were very sick for a few weeks, but after that I just needed to grow, so I stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 11 ½ weeks. While I was growing, Mom and Dad were able to stay very close by at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville. There they could rest, do their laundry and they even had people come and cook meals for all the families staying at the House.

I was so excited about being a big sister and couldn’t wait to play with JD. We had to wait for TEN weeks before we could bring my baby brother home. This time I got to stay at the  Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville with Mom and Dad. They even have a playroom just for me! It was so great and we were right down the street from JD so I visited him too.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville is so important to my family that every year on my birthday we visit and bring dinner for all of the families residing there while caring for their critically ill children. Now we’ll do the same thing on JD’s birthday! My Mom and Dad tell everyone that the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville is their “home away from home”… now it’s mine too!!

Love,
Tatum