Seva Story #7
Seva means selfless service that benefits the community as a whole. This month’s Seva story comes from Andrew from Anytime Fitness in Pukalani. Andrew and his family received help in a time of need and because of that he is giving back. When we give we receive and when we receive we are later inspired to give. Andrew writes:
“Bailey Madison Pirsch was born on May 24th, at 3:39 am, roughly three months before her expected due date of August 21st. My girlfriend was immediately sent to Oahu once her water broke and gave birth three days later to our daughter at 2 pounds 2 ounces. We were told to expect our daughter to be in the NICU until her due date, give or take a couple weeks depending on her progress. Without a place to stay, we were told about the Ronald Mcdonald house which at the time we knew nothing about. The Ronald Mcdonald house charity has two locations in Oahu, one for parents whose kids are in the hospital and one for outpatient kids with their families. We were accepted to stay at the house free of cost and I was pleasantly surprised at the accommodations of the staff and the house. They provide a private room, a fully stocked kitchen, as well as shuttle service to and from the hospitals for all the families.
My girlfriend stayed in Oahu for 57 days and I would travel back and forth from Maui to Oahu each week. The travel and time was taxing mentally and financially yet it would of been much worse had we not been able to stay at the Ronald Mcdonald House. A cheap hotel for 125 a night would have cost us 7,125 dollars over those 57 days, not including food or transportation. Instead we were able to stay at the Ronald Mcdonald house free of charge. As stressful as our lives were during that time, Bailey exceeded all expectations and displayed her fighting spirit. She came home over a month before her due date and is now close to 4 times her birth weight. It could have been much worse for us but we are grateful for our families help, Kaiser Moanaloa’s staff, and the Ronald Mcdonald house for providing housing for us in a time of need. This month from September 14th through the 25th we will be having a donation period (at Anytime Fitness in Pukalani) with fun ways to donate to the Ronald Mcdonald House. “
Please send your Seva story to Johanna at info@johannawaters.com so we can spread the Seva! Aloha, Metta and Namaste, Johanna
