Sallie Brooks Found Refuge at Ronald McDonald House Greater Chattanooga
Sallie Brooks gives back to Ronald McDonald House® Greater Chattanooga as a donor, volunteer, and board member. Her connection began 22 years ago, when the House became her family’s refuge.
“I didn’t realize the scope of our mission at Ronald McDonald House until my daughter was in a car wreck and we had spent two nights in the waiting room,” said Sallie. “Finally someone said you can go over across the street and there’s a place for you.”
Sallie and her late husband, Mark, were at Erlanger Hospital after their 16-year-old daughter, Kelly, was seriously injured in a car accident. Kelly needed several emergency surgeries, and the family learned she was paralyzed from the waist down.
Family and friends filled the waiting room with support, but Sallie and Mark had no quiet place to process what was happening or plan their next steps.
“It was wonderful to have that support from family and friends, but also I had no time to process what was going on or figure out what we needed to do,” shared Sallie. “So, looking back, I always say when we came to the Ronald McDonald House it became our refuge.”
For two weeks, the House gave Sallie and Mark a quiet place to rest, think, and plan, a short walk from Kelly’s bedside. “It was a place Mark and I could get away from the crowd and we could even sleep a little,” said Sallie. “I will never forget the two weeks that you served me and I was in the worst state of my life I had no idea what I was doing half the time, but I didn’t have to because you all were just providing anything and everything.”
Meals were ready, so they never had to wonder where the next one would come from. Their two younger daughters came after school to eat with them, giving the family time together in the middle of a crisis.
“The girls would come after school and eat the Ronald McDonald House meals with us and it would give us family time,” said Sallie. “Food is necessary to nourish our bodies, but it is also a comfort and a place that people can gather to eat and reconnect.”
During their stay, Sallie also saw how the House supports every family going through something similar.
“Where you see the most people in this house is about two in the morning in that big kitchen. You hadn’t eaten all day because you’re trying to process,” said Sallie. “Nobody is here that’s not going through something horrible and everybody was in the middle of the night trying to find something to eat. You’d be in your pajamas in the kitchen and you run into everybody raiding the refrigerator.”
“I think everybody can relate to being fed and comforted in a difficult time in their lives,” said Sallie. “To this day, when I walk through that door my stomach flip flops. There is a smell in this house that brings all the memories back and that’s why I am so grateful for this house.”
Today, Sallie’s family helps keep other families close. During the House’s kitchen renovation in early 2022, they funded an ADA-compliant section of the kitchen in honor of Mark and Kelly. Sallie continues to volunteer, serve on the board, and advocate for keeping families close at Ronald McDonald House Greater Chattanooga.
“This place has my heart and I think it always will,” said Sallie.
