08 Jul Three Kids, One Life-Changing Accident

Jamis and her family faced the unimaginable in May, when a serious car accident in Yerington left three of her children injured — while spending the day with their father and his girlfriend.

• Two were careflighted to Renown.
• Jamis’ daughter was taken by ambulance, with Jamis by her side.
• Her oldest daughter broke her femur and needed emergency surgery.
• Her young son broke both legs and underwent surgery to insert a plate.

 All while her husband raced to meet them in Reno.

“It was, needless to say, pretty chaotic getting to Reno from Yerington,” Jamis said. With her kids in different wings of the hospital, she and her husband were pulled in every direction — agonizing over each child’s recovery.

Thanks to a community that supports families in crisis, Jamis and her husband didn’t have to face it all alone.

“Getting all the kids rounded up in one place and having the Renown team there to help us was really fantastic,” she says. 

Keeping Families Close

Every family has a story. Every stay at Ronald McDonald House helps make healing just a little easier.

“We were so focused on their immediate care that we didn’t really think about what happened next,” Jamis says. 

That’s when a Renown social worker mentioned the Ronald McDonald House as a nearby, supportive place to stay while their children recovered.

Thanks to that recommendation, Jamis and her husband found stability during the most uncertain days of their lives. They stayed at the House for five nights, close to their children and surrounded by comfort, support, and care.

“They made it easy when everything felt hard.”

Jamis says the Ronald McDonald House staff helped take one more worry off their shoulders.

“That’s super helpful in a time like this when your mind is in so many other places trying to figure everything out,” she says. “When the team at Ronald McDonald House made it easy for us to get settled, it was nice to check that off the list.”

Their middle child was released first and stayed at the House with them, followed by their oldest daughter, and finally — after a week — their young son was discharged.

Along with healing came new challenges. Their oldest daughter returned in a wheelchair, introducing the family to the world of accessibility and adaptation — and the Ronald McDonald House was ready to support that journey as well.

A bit of normalcy

After the chaos of the hospital, Jamis says the Ronald McDonald House felt like a wonderful alternative to a hotel — a calm, comforting space where her family could regroup and reconnect.

“You have the chance to sit down for a meal with whoever’s not at the hospital, and you can do laundry,” she says. “It was nice to have that little bit of normalcy, having that connection with the kids in spite of everything that was going on.”

The family spent time together in the family room playing games, sharing meals, and even reuniting across households — the kids’ dad joined them at the House for dinner after hospital visits, giving the blended family a much-needed moment of unity.

Her daughters even managed to find joy during their stay. 

“It’s just amazing the way they have it set up there, with all of the games and things to do,” Jamis says. “It felt like an Airbnb that’s kind of like an extension of the hospital. You’ve got all of these things you’re worried about, but then you have this little getaway place.”

In a small-world twist, Jamis met another mom from Yerington at the House — whose baby was in the NICU and who, coincidentally, works for the same company as Jamis’ husband.

“The Ronald McDonald House was a home away from home, and it was a wonderful experience,” she says. “It feels so weird to say it was a great experience because of the circumstances… but at the end of the day, everybody was just happy to be able to walk away from this.”

Now, Jamis is eager to share her story in the hopes that others will learn about this important resource before they ever need it.

“I thought the House was only for babies, so it was a surprise to learn it could help families like ours after the accident,” Jamis says. “It’s a terrible way to discover such a great resource — through something tragic — but we’re just so grateful everyone’s okay, and thankful for all the support we received from Renown and the Ronald McDonald House.”