It is every parent’s worst fear... learning your child has been diagnosed with a life threatening disease. The stress brought on by that news is only compounded by the uncertainty of where treatment will be, for how long and how the family will stay close by.

That is exactly the scenario Dena LaBossiere and her family faced last year when they found Ronald McDonald House when they needed it most. At the end of August 2020, her four year old son Carson was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of Leukemia... b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Within 24 hours Dena, her husband Andre and Carson (with the support of older brother Parker) went from being at home south of Darlingford to a doctor’s appointment at Boundary Trails Health Centre to Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg.

 

 

For 87 consecutive nights, after receiving the diagnosis, Ronald McDonald House Winnipeg was the LaBossiere's home... the first two weeks Andre and Carson, and then afterward Dena and Carson. Since the end of August, they have stayed over 100 nights, with more to come with Carson’s ongoing treatment expected to last through December 2022.

We continued the conversation with Dena as she shared what it was like to be living at a Ronald McDonald House in Winnipeg, and the importance of having an option like it for rural Manitobans in need.

 

 

Without Ronald McDonald House, Dena told us she’s unsure what they would have done, because staying at a hotel or renting an apartment for the several months Carson needed to be in the city was not an option financially. 

If you haven’t heard, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Manitoba has officially broken ground on its new House in Winnipeg, which is located just a couple of blocks away from the existing home on Bannatyne. The new facility will have 40 bedrooms, nearly tripling the capacity from the existing 14 at the current Ronald McDonald House.

 

 

Carson is doing very well right now, with eyes looking to hopefully starting kindergarten in Fall 2021.

After hearing Dena’s story, we’d like you to consider financially supporting the construction of the new Ronald McDonald House, considering it's rural Manitobans like the LaBossiere's who use it the most. Click here to learn more, and make your donation.

Also, you can support the LaBossiere family in their walk with Carson and his treatment by clicking here.

You can watch the conversation between Dena and Morning Show Co-Host Chris Sumner below: