About the House

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Since 1980, the Ronald McDonald House of Durham has provided loving shelter to more than 20,000 families whose children were being treated in local hospitals, weaving their stories into the fabric that makes this House a home. They’ve come from every county in North Carolina, 43 other states and nine foreign countries. They arrive, sometimes at the end of their rope, emotionally and financially exhausted. But the stories that make them a family are a lot like yours.

  • A late-night raid of the fridge
  • Bingo around the kitchen table
  • A pick-up game of hoops
  • Bedtime stories and a kiss goodnight

When life takes a sudden turn and your days are spent worrying over medical tests, clinical procedures and insurance forms, normal takes on a whole new meaning. Dealing with the illness of a child becomes part of the family experience - but certainly not the whole story…

A teen, weak from chemotherapy but looking for a pick-up game of basketball, asks another teen, this one a volunteer at the House, if he wants to play basketball.

A young girl and seasoned House BINGO champ, waiting for a double lung transplant, secretly delivers her prize winnings to the doors of other residents.

A healthy seven year old wants to be like his older brother. He has his mom shave off his hair, which gives another child from a different family an idea: He wants his head shaved also…to be like his little sister.

With some of the country’s top medical facilities right in our backyard, and a growing reputation for excellence in healthcare - particularly for children - the Ronald McDonald House of Durham tries to meet the needs of the ever-increasing number of families whose children are being treated for serious illness.

One of the most unsettling questions a family facing weeks or months of treatment at a hospital away from home asks is “Where do we stay?”. In 2007, the Ronald McDonald House of Durham answered that question for nearly 800 families.

View frequently asked questions about the House.