Excerpt from STYLE magazine, Holiday Edition 2007, written by Kirsten Freeman
We can all agree, sometimes Christmas can turn into a circus. It becomes a balancing act of treasuring memories of those happy holidays that have passed and embracing the fleeting moments that are here and now. It’s decking the halls and the walls and the mantles and even the snow banks in festive joy.
For the last three years, in the peaceful neighborhoods of Freeport and Melrose, Minnesota, a very generous group of people has come together to celebrate the giving nature of the season while enjoying and sharing the inspiring décor that only comes around this special time of year.
On a spring afternoon in March, 2005 Stacey Austing-Jacobson had just wrapped up her day at her new job as the Community Education Director in Melrose. Her son, Nicholas, then age 7 and his sister, Charlotte, 9, had ridden the bus to the high school where Mom worked. Nicholas was complaining of a stomach and head ache. By the following afternoon, all the color had drained from his skin and he had become violently ill. Nick was admitted to Melrose Hospital, but his condition was deteriorating rapidly. He was transferred to St. Cloud Hospital where it was determined that his kidneys were failing and he needed pediatric dialysis immediately. Nick’s Dad, Nate, climbed on board the helicopter as their son was airlifted to Childrens’ Hospital in Minneapolis while Stacey faced a 2 a.m. solo drive in a snowstorm to the Twin Cities.
Doctors at Childrens’ Hospital determined that either a virus or a toxin similar to e-coli had attacked Nick’s kidneys and caused a condition called HUS or Hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Fewer than two in 100,000 Americans contract the condition annually; most of them are children. Ninety-three percent of patients who develop the condition fully recover – Nick wasn’t going to be that lucky.
“We were so exhausted,” Stacey said. “We had been sleeping on couches for days until a social worker recommended that we check out Ronald McDonald House.”
It’s called “The House That Love Built”… On any given night, 48 families call the Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities their home-away-from-home. Families from more than 60 miles away can stay there if they have a child under the age of 19 who is undergoing treatment in the Twin Cities for a life-threatening illness. They are asked to pay a nominal fee per night, if they are able, and are never turned away because of an inability to pay.
“It was an absolutely beautiful place,” Stacey said, “it was like a home on Extreme Home Makeover with granite countertops and laundry rooms and beautiful private sleeping rooms, but for one VERY large family. We were all in the same boat. It was good to have one another. You could always get a daily hug.” Evening meals were prepared by volunteers, sometimes even some of the Vikings players’ wives. The families had access to pantries and refrigerators stocked with food, massages, music therapy, Twins games, friendly human and animal visitors and, most importantly, private family time.
Nick’s parents were trained how to do at-home dialysis and the family moved home while Nick continued to struggle with being both a patient and an active 7-year-old.
“Nick had a port in his abdomen for the dialysis,” Stacey said, “we would wrap him up in bandages and plastic cling wrap under his swim suit so he could run through the sprinklers with the other kids. We tried to make everything as normal as possible.” But by the end of the summer, doctors said his kidneys were never going to be normal again and he was put on the transplant list. Amazingly, both of his parents were matches. Back to the Twin Cities and the Ronald MacDonald House they went. “It was the worst day and the best day of my life,” Stacey said of transplant day at the University of Minnesota when both her husband and son were wheeled into surgery. That day, Nate gave Nick the best present ever – a new kidney.
“So, that’s what Christmas and life has become to us,” Stacey said. “We know now how much more rewarding it is to give than to receive and how very lucky we are. It’s amazing the things you find out that you are capable of when you’re faced with something like this.”
That fall, as she was at home raking leaves, typically a chore she usually didn’t appreciate, Stacey was suddenly inspired. “I was so grateful to just be at home again with our healthy son and his healthy kidney, and I started thinking about all those families who were still at Ronald McDonald House,” Stacey said. “I just had to do something to help – to make sure there would always be that place of refuge.” So, with the thought of a holiday event in mind and the spirit of giving as inspiration, she put down the rake, put on a hat and just started walking to neighbors and asking for help. She had no plan, no agenda, just a desire to somehow help others who she knew were struggling. “Then one day at lunchtime, I just drove downtown and started asking the businesses to help also.” The group had a meeting and the Holiday Tour was born. Each year, several homes are selected to be featured on the Tour. Each home is professionally and complimentary decked out in holiday finery by a local business. Everyone involved donates their time and talent to the event and together, they raise thousands of dollars and generate much awareness for the Ronald MacDonald House. “They gave so much to us,” Stacey said, “it’s wonderful to give a little back.”
