On January 4 of 2016, at 29 weeks into her pregnancy, Beth Salusso started hemorrhaging at work. She knew that there were complications with her pregnancy, but she hadn’t expected to be rushed to the hospital by a coworker that day. “I was so worried I was going to lose the baby,” she said.

Beth was life flighted from her home city of Butte to Community Medical Center in Missoula, where she stayed for five days. Her doctor eventually shared good news and bad news. The good news was that she hadn’t lost the baby. The bad news was that for the remaining two and half months of her pregnancy, she couldn’t venture further than a few miles from the hospital in Missoula without being at grave risk of hemorrhaging again due to a condition called placenta previa.

“It was devastating at first, thinking what are we going to do? How are we going to afford this?” Beth said. She had a life in Butte – two small children at home, a husband and career as a physical therapist. Now she was confined to Missoula, hours away from her family. “My daughter was starting kindergarten, I was still at work. I was still preparing the nursery,” she reflected on the time. “I was super sad.”

For the next seven weeks, Beth stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. She’d never heard of a Ronald McDonald House before and, at first, she felt intimidated by being in a new place without her family. But, “As the days went on,” Beth said, “it was pretty amazing. My kids were able to come on the weekends and see me, and it was just amazing that they have this great house you can stay in. I had overwhelming support from everybody there. It’s kind of like your home away from home.”

She wasn’t out of the woods yet. After staying at the Ronald McDonald House and never venturing more than a few miles away – one attempted trip to Target sent her into pre-term labor – Beth knew that she would have to have her baby via C-section. Her family came to support her, staying at the House and helping her through this difficult time.

“Luckily,” Beth said, “everything went awesome.” Her son Sawyer was born a little ahead of schedule and, due to some challenges with breathing, spent 10 days in the NICU at Community Medical Center. She knows she was fortunate for Sawyer’s health and for the chance to stay close to the hospital at the Ronald McDonald House.

After months at the Ronald McDonald House during her pregnancy, and the NICU stay for baby Sawyer, the Salusso family was able to go home together. They left the House with new friends and an unexpected sense of togetherness. “You’re worried about yourself at first and then you see all the other people there. You’re in it together as a team. We met a lot of friends I still keep in touch with,” said Beth.

Standing up next to Beth at a groundbreaking event, to double the size of the Ronald McDonald House in Missoula, is Jessie Janecke, a fellow Butte resident who stayed at the House during her tenuous pregnancy. The women share their stories and enjoy the friendship they formed during their stay at the House together. Their children cling to their legs or look on from the crowd. Beth looks back on her time at the House, with Jessie and the caring staff, saying, “We are forever grateful for that experience. It definitely makes you think about doing more for the community – giving back.”