In June 2024, Jason and Katrina Beck’s lives abruptly changed course when baby Ben was born nearly 17 weeks early (at 23 weeks, 1 day gestation). This terrifying early arrival began a new nine-month journey in UNC Children’s Hospital and a stay at Ronald McDonald House in Chapel Hill.
Nothing captures the Becks’ experience quite like Jason’s post from this past July, “250 nights. Only two miles from UNC Hospital. Our house was an hour and 45 minutes from Ben’s intensive care ward during a time when we wondered if we would get a call that we only had minutes left with him. Katrina didn’t sleep in her own bed at home in nine months. We were able to meet with his doctors during rounds, be there for every PT session, and hold his hand during painful procedures.”
“250 soft pillows. 250 hot dinners. 250 long showers. Free Internet. Gallons of free coffee. If not for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Triangle there’s no way we could have been as active in Ben’s critical care.”
Despite the odds, baby Ben was a fighter and on day 251, the Beck Family proudly held up the sign celebrating that they were going home!
Although busy with Ben and their lives back home, Jason and Katrina wanted to do something to highlight the impact RMHC had made in their lives. Jason, a long-time race car enthusiast, entered a race in the Bombers Division at the Wake County Speedway and asked for lap sponsors to raise money. On July 11 in his #23 car (for Ben’s 23 weeks), Jason tore up the track, raising more than $3,800 for RMHC.
Katrina, Jason and Ben traveled to the Chapel Hill House to present the check and to reconnect with staff who felt like family. With the funds raised, the Becks are adopting the room they stayed in at the Chapel Hill House in Ben’s name, giving another family the opportunity to stay close by when their child needs them most.
