The Jones Family

It was three in the morning when Meghan woke up with severe pain and trouble breathing. Meghan and her husband, Dave, rushed to the emergency room where she was immediately admitted. After an exam, the doctors quickly realized that Meghan was in early labor at only 29 weeks pregnant.

“When we found out we were having triplets, we were shocked,” Meghan and Dave said. “Then we found out it was all boys, and that was another shock. So when they came early, that was just another scary surprise.” 

Jameson, Joseph and Jack were born just one minute apart from each other on March 11, 2022 at a hospital close to home. Meghan was discharged from the hospital four days later, but their babies couldn’t come home just yet. Because they were born so early, they needed to stay in the NICU. 

“It was so hard seeing them so small and not being able to hold them, or really do anything except wait and stay positive,” Dave said. 

Jameson, Joseph and Jack were discharged from the NICU at two months old, and finally got to meet their older brother, Bobby. However, just a month later, they needed to be readmitted to the hospital, this time at Loyola University Medical Center, due to trouble breathing.  

The Jones family lived almost two hours round trip from the hospital. They needed a place to stay close to their babies, so they turned to Ronald McDonald House. 

“I knew about Ronald McDonald House after volunteering at a couple of events and cooking a meal,” Meghan noted. “We never thought we would need to use it, but when your children are fighting for their lives, being far from the hospital isn’t an option.” 

While the triplets were in the PICU, the Jones family were right by their sides through every up and down thanks to Ronald McDonald House. 

“It’s a home away from home,” Meghan and Dave said. “Having a place to eat, shower and sleep so close to the hospital really helped us take care of ourselves so we could support our babies.” 

Jameson, Joseph and Jack returned home two weeks later, and have been growing stronger and more active ever since.

Today, they are almost two years old and will be celebrating their birthday just in time to enjoy riding the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana float in the South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17! You can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with us while helping families like the Jones’ get better together by purchasing a “Get Shamrock’d” yard sign kit!