Today I got an email from the Ronald McDonald House requesting the names and birthdate of everyone who would be staying there (if we get in). They will do a background check on me with the info. Not Belinda, since she’s under 18.
They also sent a video that made me feel a lot more comfortable about staying there. I don’t like going into anything where I don’t understand how it works, or the rules and what to expect, and I’ve done a lot of googling on the Ronald McDonald House but found very little about actually staying there. Most of the info online is about donating or volunteering there. So the video was super helpful. It’s unlisted on youtube, so I couldn’t find it through search.
It didn’t say I couldn’t share it, so here’s the link if anyone else wants to have an idea of what we can expect there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-j1ICs4WM0
I’m praying we get in. I looked at some hotels but they’re all so high and geared towards tourists. I also looked at airbnb and found one I liked but I can’t cancel and get a refund after April 16, and I don’t expect to hear from the Ronald McDonald House that early. So I’m just planning to wait it out, and make a last minute hotel or airbnb reservation if I need to. It’s hard because I don’t know how up to walking Belinda will be afterward. I’ve been on the Metro in DC, so I feel somewhat confident in that. It looks like the station is a couple of blocks from the hospital. I think it’s odd that there’s not a station right by the hospital, but what do I know? I found a few hotels that are also a couple of blocks from a station, so maybe that will be our game plan.
There’s a Motel 6 in DC that is cheapest but I also don’t want to be anywhere scary. I suppose I’ll need to research more at tripadvisor. There’s just so many factors to consider and it gets overwhelming.
I need to re-download the Uber app and make sure I remember my account information, in case she’s not up to walking at all.
Anyway, really hopeful for Ronald McDonald House. Looks like it would be very stress-free.