Meet Shelby Brown

My name is Shelby, my family and I stayed at Ronald McDonald House a for one month while Braxton was in the NICU.

Hometown St. Catharines

Days 29

Service Used Hamilton House & Hamilton Family Room

Our Story

We went to our local hospital in Niagara expecting to welcome a healthy baby boy. Instead, within hours, everything changed. Braxton suffered a catastrophic brain injury during birth and was rushed to McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton.

Suddenly, our lives were overwhelmed with monitors, machines, alarms, and uncertainty. We were terrified. We didn’t know what happened to our baby or what his future would hold. We only knew we needed to be
close to him.

That’s when we were welcomed to Ronald McDonald House. Being so close to McMaster Children’s Hospital meant we could spend our days with Braxton without worrying about where we would sleep, what we would eat, or how we would manage everything else happening at home. We could focus solely on our son.

And, we could keep our family together.

Our older son, Stratton, was just 19 months old. While we spent our days at the hospital, he had a safe place to play, laugh, and simply be a little boy. Hearing him laugh at Ronald McDonald House during such a frightening time gave us comfort we desperately needed.

The House gave us something invaluable: it gave us time.

As we learned Braxton’s brain injury was severe and our time with him would be limited, every moment became precious. We weren’t thinking about careers, schedules, or plans anymore. We just wanted time...

To hold our son.
To kiss him.
To simply be his mom & dad.

Ronald McDonald House made that possible.

When the time came to say goodbye to Braxton, we held him close. We kissed him and told him how much we loved him. And then, surrounded by love, Braxton took his final breath in our arms.

We wish more than anything our family never had to live this story. But we can honour Braxton by sharing his story and help another family feel less alone.

That’s why on the anniversary of his passing, we made a donation to provide a meal for families staying at Ronald McDonald House. This holiday season, I hope you’ll do the same.

Please, make a donation before and give families something incredibly precious: more time together when every moment matters.