GREENWICH — The Ronald McDonald House in Columbus was a second home for Plymouth graduate Lexi Surgener and her family amidst significant health issues.
Inspired by their personal experience with the House, Surgener and her family have started collecting pop tabs to support the cause, often connecting through social media.
“I am asking everyone to take an extra second before throwing your tabs away,” Surgener said. “Please put them in a baggie for the House.”
On August 19, 2023, Surgener and her fiancé, Logan Allenbaugh, welcomed their son, Houston, who was born at 27 weeks and four days.
He weighed one pound and 14.7 ounces, while measuring 13 inches long. Due to his premature birth, Houston was kept in the NICU at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in Columbus for 50 days.
Furthermore, he was transferred to the NICU at Nationwide Children’s Hospital for an additional 75 days.
While Houston was in the NICU, his parents stayed at the Columbus Ronald McDonald House for 118 days.
“We were able to walk back and forth to the hospital since they were right across the street,” Surgener said. “The Ronald McDonald House was a home away from home.”
“I can’t tell people how much Ronald McDonald House means to us as a family.”
Mother diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, led to early delivery
On August 17, 2023 around 3:30 a.m., Allenbaugh was woken by Surgener, who said she didn’t feel right and was experiencing severe back pain.
The couple decided to go to the hospital around 4 a.m., where blood work and vital checks revealed health concerns.
Surgener said her blood pressure was dangerously high, as well as her liver enzyme count. Her white blood cell count was low and the protein in her urine sample was too high to register.
She was loaded into an ambulance at OhioHealth Mansfield and sent south to Grant Medical Center — where Surgener was told she had HELLP syndrome and received treatment.
The rare, life-threatening pregnancy complication affects the blood and liver, according to Cleveland Clinic. Many people who have HELLP syndrome need to deliver early.
Surgener encourages pregnant women to ask their doctors about any abnormalities experienced throughout pregnancy.
“A normal pregnancy can go south very quickly,” she said. “Make sure you tell your doctors what’s going on, don’t hide it, because it could’ve jeopardized me and the baby.”
‘It was our second home’ says Surgener
The Ronald McDonald House is made available to every family, based on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Nationwide Children’s.
Surgener said her and Allenbaugh’s room included a bed, bathroom, fridge and TV. She added breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks were provided to families.
“There is so much for the families to do there, so they could take their mind off of things for a little,” Surgener said. “The (Ronald McDonald) House always had different groups coming in with activities for kids of all ages.”
The ability to stay at the House meant Surgener wouldn’t have to worry about constantly commuting back and forth between Columbus and her Greenwich residence.
An 118-day stay also gave her family a chance to connect with others facing similar situations.
“Ronald McDonald (House) brings people together and helps them push through the hardest times of your life,” Surgener said. “I never thought as a 23-year-old I would be going through some of the hurdles I had to go through.”
Pop Tab Program
The Ronald McDonald House is open to families 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To help keep the lights on, the charity collects tabs from aluminum cans.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio is able to recycle tabs in exchange for money — which is then put towards paying the utility bills for the House.
Inspired by their personal experience with the House, Surgener and her family began collecting tabs and take frequent trips to Columbus to deliver them.
Surgener frequently posts to her social media accounts encouraging people to collect and save aluminum tabs. She makes trips to collect the tabs about every three weeks from those who get in contact with her.
The mother said several local groups, inspired by her family’s story, have collected tabs for the program, including Shelby’s St. Mary School, American Legion O’Brien Post 326 and Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Several local residents and community members have also contributed, she added.
Furthermore, pop tabs can be dropped off to the charity’s Columbus location, 711 E. Livingston Ave., at the front desk.
“The Ronald McDonald House means a lot to myself and my family,” Surgener said. “We were truly blessed to be able to stay there.”
‘Look how blessed we actually are’
Houston, now nine months old, is home and continues to make strides each day.
While in the hospital, he rejected bottle feeding due to several medical complications — which have since been treated.
Looking back at her family’s journey, Surgener said she’s still overcome by emotions.
“It was scary and just thinking about it now gives me the chills,” she said.
“I’m like ‘Wow. Look how blessed we actually are to be nine months old, crawling, sitting up and doing our things that we are doing.’ It’s just the small things that people really take for granted.”
Currently, Houston is learning to accept bottle feeding after beginning on a feeding tube 24 hours a day. He’s now down to 7 hours a day on his feeding tube and pump.
“He happily takes his bottles during the daytime,” the mother said. “He is learning how to crawl, will soon be walking and he loves to babble with his family and his dog, Skittles.”
“We are so proud of Houston. He is truly a little fighter.”