Opinion
Comfort, Care, and Community: Paying It Forward at Primary Children’s
April Slaughter | Lehi Free Press
When my daughter Jordyn was admitted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City for treatment and surgery related to her epilepsy, I learned firsthand how fragile and exhausting hospital life can be. As a single mother, my days revolved around monitoring her care, meeting with doctors, and trying to stay strong for her through each new procedure and test.
In the middle of that uncertainty, I discovered the Ronald McDonald Family Room — a quiet haven tucked inside the hospital that offered something I didn’t know I desperately needed: rest. A place to sit down, shower, and breathe. A moment to collect myself without leaving Jordyn’s side for long.
The Family Room isn’t just a space — it’s a lifeline. It’s stocked with meals and snacks, toiletries, laundry machines, and a few cozy places to nap or gather your thoughts. It’s a simple concept that means the world to parents like me who can’t bear to leave their child’s bedside but still need a moment of human normalcy to keep going.
That experience changed me. It showed me what compassion in action looks like — not just words of comfort, but the kind of tangible care that makes surviving those long hospital days possible. When the Lehi Free Press agreed to host a donation drive this fall for the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Primary Children’s Hospital’s Miller Family Campus in Lehi, it was an honor to be involved.
This drive wasn’t just another community service project. For me, it was personally a way to say thank you for what I once received when I needed it most, and to make sure other parents and families can feel that same relief.
Over the course of October, readers and residents across Utah County donated food, toiletries, and gift cards to help restock the Family Room’s shelves. Each item — a box of cereal, a bottle of shampoo, a roll of paper towels — represented kindness and solidarity with families facing some of their hardest days.
We collected everything at the Lehi Free Press office and, on the evening of Nov. 3, delivered the donations to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) team at the hospital. With the help of staff and volunteers, we offloaded a large hospital cart filled with the generous contributions of our readers — tangible reminders of how deeply this community cares.
Walking through those familiar doors again brought back memories I hadn’t revisited in a long time — the fear of waiting for test results, the exhaustion that settles deep in your bones after days of little sleep, and the quiet gratitude you feel for strangers who somehow make things a bit easier.
The Ronald McDonald Family Room program is built entirely around that concept: keeping families close and cared for. Located right inside hospitals, the Family Rooms offer everything from meals and showers to quiet spaces and overnight rooms, all free of charge. The Lehi Family Room, opened in 2024, features four short-term guest rooms, a full kitchen and dining area, laundry facilities, computers, and a warm, home-like atmosphere where families can regroup.
It’s a miracle of comfort within the walls of a medical facility — and it’s powered almost entirely by community generosity. According to RMHC of the Intermountain Area, these Family Rooms collectively served more than 116,000 visits in 2024, saving families an estimated $9.2 million in travel and lodging costs.
Those numbers represent countless moments of compassion — a hot meal after a long night, a fresh shirt before a doctor’s meeting, a nap that restores the strength to face another day.
As a mother who’s been on the receiving end of that kindness, I can say it makes all the difference.
Our local donation drive was small compared to the overall needs RMHC meets each year, but it’s a reminder that collective giving adds up. When we each bring what we can — a few pantry items, a travel-size shampoo, or a gift card to help fill the gaps — we’re helping keep those Family Rooms running for the next family who needs them.
The Lehi Free Press and I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to every person who contributed to this effort — whether you dropped off items, shared the drive with friends, or offered words of encouragement. Your generosity will touch lives in ways you may never see, but that families like mine will never forget.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities team continues to rely on year-round donations and volunteer support to sustain its programs. High-need items include individually packaged snacks, paper towels, sanitizing wipes, and toiletries. Gift cards from grocery stores such as Smith’s and Costco are especially valuable because they allow staff to meet specific needs quickly.
If you didn’t have a chance to donate during our October drive, it’s never too late. The Ronald McDonald Family Room in Lehi accepts new, unopened donations year-round, and volunteers are always welcome to help prepare meals or greet guests.
For me, this project was a full-circle moment — a chance to transform a difficult chapter in my life into something hopeful and helpful. I’ll never forget the sense of peace I felt walking into the Family Room during Jordyn’s hospital stay. It wasn’t just the comfort of a meal or a place to sit — it was the feeling that I wasn’t alone.
That same feeling is what our community gave back today. Together, we’ve helped ensure that other families in crisis can find a place of calm, kindness, and care just steps from their child’s hospital room. And that, to me, is the heart of what community is all about.
