Bio: Wilson Family - Donation (Dec 2020)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Wilson

----Source: Clark County Press Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 12/23/2020

Wilson Family Donates to Ronald House



Ben, Leah, Brennan and Lylah Wilson donate a meal to the Ronald McDonald House in Marshfield every year as a way of giving back, as Ben and Leah stayed there for a short time after Lylah was born. Submitted photo.

By Valerie Brecht

The Wilson family of Neillsville makes a point of giving back to the Ronald McDonald House in Marshfield every year, because it was a blessing to them during their own time of need.

“It is a fantastic place,” said Leah Wilson.

Leah and Ben Wilson’s daughter Lylah has born almost seven years ago, in February 2014. She was born with a rare condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension in the neonate (PPHN). This is a serious breathing condition in newborns, in which the lung vessels do not open wide enough, which restricts blood flow and how much oxygen is sent to the brain and organs. Lylah was kept in Marshfield Clinic’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for 15 days.

“She was on life support for over a week until they got her lungs working,” said Leah.

While Lylah was in the NICU, Leah and Ben stayed in the Ronald McDonald House, a place to stay at no cost while their child was in the hospital. Leah was there about 13 days, from the time of discharge from the hospital until Lylah got better. For the first week, Ben also stayed at the Ronald McDonald House until he had to go back to work.

“Being someone who needed it, it was really convenient,” said Leah.

After Ben went back to work, he would visit in the evenings and go see Lylah while Leah hung out at the Ronald McDonald House with their son, Brennan, who was 19 months old at the time.

Every year since then, the Wilsons have visited the Ronald McDonald House to make a meal for the residents there, as a way of paying forward the help they received. Due to COVID this year, they weren’t allowed to go inside, and the house also requested individually packaged meals. So, the Wilsons bought individual pizzas from Scotty’s Pizza & Chicken for the people there and also donated a few bags of items, including toilet paper, tissues, baby wipes, bleach swipes, snack foods, crayons and toys for the kids.

Leah and Ben make sure their children are involved with the visit to the Ronald McDonald House each year.

“They enjoy it. They look forward to it every year,” said Leah. “:It feels good to teach them the importance of giving and this is a good example of that.”

The Ronald McDonald House is always in need of donations to keep the home stocked for the families who stay there. To find out current needs, call 715-387-5899. For more information, check out the “Ronald McDonald House Charities of Marshfield” Facebook page.



Lylah Wilson stands outside the Ronald McDonald House in Marshfield when dropping off some food and supplies her family donated. To find out the facility’s “wish list” of items needed, call 715-387-5899 of go to the “Ronald Mc Donald Charities of Marshfield” Facebook page. Submitted photo