We want to share a small piece of our journey—not because it’s easy to tell, but because it shows why places like the Ronald McDonald House matter so deeply.
When I was first pregnant, I was pregnant with twins but started bleeding early on. The doctor could not find any heartbeats but said that this could be because it was so early. A few weeks later we went in for another ultrasound and heard a very strong heartbeat. But only one. One of our twins didn’t survive. But little did we know that surviving heartbeat would continue to be our source of hope for months to come. Just over a month later when I was 15 weeks pregnant, my water broke. Completely. We went to the ER and were told that at 15 weeks there was nothing they could do to save the baby and most women go into labor within 48 hours. They sent us home to wait and said I could give birth really anywhere, at any time.
The next day, my OB confirmed that there was still no fluid, but that same strong heartbeat was still there. He explained that this was life threatening to my health and that the baby would most likely not survive, and if he did, he probably wouldn’t live long and would have a very low quality, painful life. Specialists here in Boise told us the same thing over and over – to terminate the pregnancy. We went home again, scared to move, scared to breathe too deeply. Every week we went in for fetal heart tones praying we would still hear that little fighter heartbeat. Every week became a prayer: “Just one more week. Please, just one more.” And somehow… week by week… that little heartbeat kept going. Since we decided to continue to let our baby fight, we had to decide which day we wanted the doctors to resuscitate him if I did go into labor. We ended up deciding on 23 weeks.
On February 3rd I was admitted to the hospital for monitoring and stayed for seven weeks. At almost 30 weeks I went into labor —an absolute miracle after rupturing so early. I had a C-section. I didn’t get to see Zeke, but I heard a tiny cry and knew he was born alive at 3 lbs. The NICU team resuscitated him immediately and later told us he’d made it to the NICU—his first huge hurdle cleared. The neonatologist told me to prepare myself because my baby was very sick. The first day was brutal. Tubes everywhere. But in true Zeke fashion, he continued to defy the odds. He started breathing over the ventilator, was extubated on day four, and the next day I held him for the first time—skin to skin, tears streaming.
Then I had to be discharged. I had to walk away from the hospital and leave my baby behind. My dad, brothers, and Brayden moved seven weeks’ worth of belongings across the street to the Ronald McDonald House. After weeks of hospital food, beds, and a tiny shower, the House felt like a gift. A real kitchen. Home-cooked meals. A real shower. A quiet place to rest. A laundry room. There is an unspoken camaraderie there that comes from parents all just trying to help their kids survive and trying to survive themselves.
The House became our lifeline. Being literally across the street from Zeke changed everything. Without it, I don’t know where we would have stayed, how we would have afforded it, or how we would have kept our strength. Zeke was in the NICU for 262 days, so the Ronald McDonald House became our home for 262 days in a row and has housed us for appointments since.
Our Zekers is thriving today because of the God of miracles, prayer, amazingly dedicated family, friends, and medical staff… and because of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho that held us together when everything was falling apart. If you’ve ever wondered whether your support makes a difference—please know it does. Every donation keeps a family close, gives them rest, a warm meal, a place to cry or laugh or just breathe.
~Brayden, Madison, and Ezekiel (Zeke) Burton | Twin Falls, ID | 268 Nights at the House
Help provide a home-away-from-home for more families like the Burton family!
For only $10, you can give families of ill or injured children a home-away-from home by providing a night stay at the Ronald McDonald House or Family Room. Families are asked to contribute $10 per night, but no family is ever turned away because they cannot pay.
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