When Sydney Karre was diagnosed with lupus at 15, she was hospitalized for eight weeks due to the autoimmune disease. Her family was located two-and-a-half hours away from the hospital and hotel bills can quickly add up. This is when Sydney and her family started to utilize the Ronald McDonald House Charities, a nonprofit family and children's charity dedicated to supporting families with sick children in their time of need which includes providing housing near the hospital.
“When I was first hospitalized I was at an age where I could see that my illness impacted not just myself but also my parents and siblings who were at home trying to balance everything while driving back and forth to the hospital,” said Karre. “One of my parents were always at my bedside thanks to the Ronald McDonald House.”
Fast forward almost ten years and Karre is now on the other side of medicine as a third year medical student and a volunteer for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Piedmont Triad. During her first year of medical school, Karre was searching for various ways to get involved within the community when she pursued and created a relationship with the local Ronald McDonald House team. Karre began volunteering by hosting a craft night for families to offer normalcy and to provide an outlet for stress. She still hosts a monthly craft night while also coordinating with her medical student peers to come to the house once a month and cook breakfast for families as they are leaving for the day to visit their loved one.
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"In the mornings, especially if you're trying to get to the hospital to see your child, it can be very tough. Our goal is to provide these families with a hot cooked breakfast they can grab on the way to the hospital. Not only does this provide a sense of normalcy and convenience for them but it also fulfills us as medical students and has been great bonding for us as peers. It’s also what prompted me to apply for additional funding through the medical school." – Sydney Karre, third-year medical student |
Medical students were presented with an opportunity to apply for IDEA grants, which includes $500 grant funding for students who have ideas to connect and impact the community. Karre is currently utilizing another grant called Challenge 100: Little Things for Big Impact from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist to help continue her involvement with the Ronald McDonald House.
“Even before I was diagnosed with lupus, I thought about a future in medicine, but after being diagnosed and all of the health struggles that ensued, I think it's given me a unique perspective as to what patients are going through. It’s also given me perspective on what the families endure – whether it's siblings, parents, grandparents – an illness doesn’t just impact the patient but also their support system,” said Karre.
