Brooks Family Story - Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth

Brooks Family Story

In April 2022, Elaina Brooks checked into the hospital with flu-like symptoms; She was 23 weeks pregnant. When she was at the hospital, a sonogram revealed that all of her amniotic fluid was dried up, leading to Elaina giving birth to Gwyneth at 1 pound, 6.9 ounces.

Elaina’s husband, Clint, would share with their two young boys – Levi, 3, and Noah, 1– that their sister was born early and that they’d be moving hours away to Fort Worth for a while and live in one room at the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth.

Clint and Elaina knew they wanted to be together, and not hours apart, since their boys were at such a pivotal growing time in their lives.

“Practically, I don’t know how we would have survived for as long as we were here in Fort Worth for five months if it was just me at home with the boys and Elaina in Fort Worth or the opposite,” Clint shared.

“Getting to come to the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth and staying together would have been enough. But the Ronald McDonald House made our stay not just bearable but enjoyable. The boys loved the playground and would go every day, which was a highlight of most of their days. The boys made friends with other kids who had siblings in the hospitals,” Elaina shared.

After 150 days at the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth, the entire family could finally go home together with baby Gwyneth!