On August 13, 2025, our family’s life changed forever. It was the first day of school when my 13-year-old brother, Carter, fell 26 feet through the floor of our attic. He was rushed to the emergency room with six broken bones, and his injuries were so severe that he was transferred to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. I went with my mom and stayed the night with Carter as we were met by a team of doctors and specialists. It was the longest night of my life as we were worried for my brother. We were worried about internal bleeding. We were worried about traumatic brain injuries. It was just a stressful, stressful time. There were so many unknowns.
The next morning, Carter was scheduled for an intense surgery to fix a broken hip, and he also had two broken bones in his wrist and three broken bones near his eye. The stress and exhaustion of the situation were overwhelming, and my mom and I barely slept. Primary Children’s Hospital is the place to be when you are going through an experience like this. They have a great team of people there to help.
Finding support at the Ronald McDonald House
In the midst of this difficult time, we were informed about the Ronald McDonald House at Primary Children’s Hospital. We had heard of it, but didn’t know what it was. We just knew that it was set up to help families that are staying at the hospital for extended periods of time. We soon discovered that it was a place right next to the hospital that provides meals, showers, and a quiet space for parents to rest. They also offer snacks and other essential items for families staying with their children. This incredible organization made an immense difference for us during our stay. The days and nights are long at the hospital, and often families can’t leave for very long because they want to be there with their child, so it is nice that it is close to all of the rooms. They also have a scheduled time each day where families can go for lunch, so they don’t have to leave the hospital. They have families and organizations volunteer to bring the food each day.
A Service Project to Give Back
In gratitude for the support we received, I am organizing a service project to give back to the Ronald McDonald House and Primary Children’s Hospital. On October 11, I will be making fleece blankets for the children at the hospital. I need your help to make this project a success! Any donation will help. Fleece is expensive, and I have made three blankets so far, but I would like to make twenty additional blankets for the children at Primary Children’s Hospital.
I am collecting the following donations:
– Fleece
– Individual snacks
– Individual drinks (especially soda and protein shakes)
– Paper products
– Paper towels/napkins
– To-go containers
– New toys
– Laundry/dishwasher pods
– Ziploc Bags (all sizes)
– Disposable 12oz coffee cups with Lids
– Disinfectant wipes
You can ship items directly to me or arrange for a pick-up. If you own a business and would like to make a monetary donation, I can use the funds to purchase these items. I plan to deliver all donations to the Ronald McDonald House and Primary Children’s Hospital in mid-October after my day of service. However, I will accept donations at any time and am happy to bring the items to Primary Children’s and the Ronald McDonald house.
Any donation, no matter how small, will help provide comfort and support to families going through a challenging time, just like mine did. Thank you for your generosity!
Donations can be sent via Venmo: @alli-christiansen if you want to donate money rather than an item! You can also email me if you have any questions allichristiansen0@gmail.com. (That’s a zero)
Submitted By Alli Christiansen
