By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer
The first night Morgan Dworshak’s grandfather was in the hospital, she worried about where her grandmother would stay. The family booked a hotel at $200 per night.
Not knowing how long she’d need lodging, Morgan asked her mother where Granny would stay after that first night. Morgan could offer her own home where she was living in Denison, but her grandmother wanted to be as close as possible to her husband of nearly 60 years.
The nurses at the hospital had a suggestion, and Morgan’s mother shared it with her.
“Reba has a house by the hospital,” her mom said.
Shocked, Morgan asked, “The Reba? Reba McEntire?”
Morgan searched the internet for Reba’s Ranch House and was stunned.
“It was a big surprise, and definitely a blessing,” Morgan said.
When she visited the hospital during her grandmother’s two week stay, Morgan always saw her with a snack and bottle of water in hand. Morgan knew the ranch house staff was making sure her grandmother ate, drank water, and felt safe in the house.
“We knew she was in great hands, whether it was someone to talk to in the hallway or just the staff there taking care of her,” Morgan said. “We didn’t have to worry about her driving back and forth, and all the things.”
This summer during a meeting at Morgan’s employment, Snellings Law, Scott Snelling brought up their monthly service project. Morgan had the perfect suggestion.
“We know the importance of having good care for the injury victim,” Scott said. “But so often the family of the injury victim goes unnoticed and uncared for. Reba’s fills that need and it really spoke to us. I wish there was a Reba’s next to every hospital in every state of the United States. These families go and sleep in these terrible chairs or couches because they just want to be close to their loved ones. To have a place to go where they can get cleaned up and feel safe and get something to snack on or something to drink, is so incredibly important. And Reba’s helped out one of our own.”
After the meeting, Morgan contacted the ranch house and obtained a list of current needs. One was a request for mini refrigerators for the NICU moms who pump breast milk while staying at the ranch house. Snellings Law provided those and Morgan shared that they were rewarded with a tour of the ranch house.
“I didn’t get to visit the actual facility while my grandmother was staying there,” Morgan said. “I was lucky enough to go on that tour with Marilyn. She also showed us the Room for Hope. My grandma is a breast cancer survivor. I walked into that room and teared up. I thought, this ranch house is something else, to go above and beyond for people in need, to make people feel so cared for in the most difficult times. They need a place to stay. They need a meal. Reba’s literally does everything.”
Morgan knows her grandfather is looking down on them now, grateful his wife was taken in at the ranch house.
“He wanted to make sure she was taken care of no matter what,” Morgan said. “I know he would have been so thankful that she had somewhere to go and it wasn’t even a minute from the hospital.”
Scott said, “Reba’s got a big name and I can’t think of a better facility for it to be attached to.”
You can join Snellings Law in making a donation to offer caregivers a place to stay and a staff to look after them.