NOVEMBER 2023 NOVEMBER 2020
Family Story
The Polejewski Family Over the past year, we’ve enjoyed catching up with past RMHC families as we celebrate 40 years of #KeepingFamiliesClose. As we wrap up our yearlong celebration, our hearts are full of gratitude for the brave families who have called our house a home and the amazing generosity of a community that has made 40 years of life-changing work possible. Angie and JP Polejewski were thrilled to welcome
their fourth child into their home in late 2008. What was supposed to be an
exciting and joyous time
quickly turned into a time
of unknowns and unpredictability. Their
son Joe made his debut in Fergus Falls, MN on November 18, 2008, weighing
a healthy seven pounds. However, he struggled to breathe on his own. His family and the medical team quickly realized that Joe displayed all the
physical features of a child born with
Down Syndrome and feared he had a
hole in his heart. On November 19, Joe was taken by ambulance to Sanford in Fargo, where he would stay for the next week.
After getting Joe settled in the NICU,
JP saw a poster for Ronald McDonald House and called to see if his family would qualify to stay. To the family’s
delight, there was space available and
Angie, JP, and their daughters Hannah (5) and Grace (3) moved into the house.
While at RMHC, the family was wrapped in
love and care from staff and volunteers. For Angie, staying at RMHC provided comfort in knowing her daughters had a fun place
“RMHC was a safe space to land,” Angie said. “It was unconditional love. It was
cookies on the kitchen counter. It was a
meal to eat as a family. It was a space to
play. It was all the things that I just couldn’t find the energy to do.”
to play and thrive, allowing her to fully focus on getting Joe healthy.
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