Bentley Roberds’ journey began when he was born with a bilateral paralyzed vocal cord and required a tracheostomy at 2 weeks old, resulting in a 74 day stay in the NICU. During their stay for Bentley’s trach placement his older brother, Zachary Jr. celebrated his birthday. The team at RMHC Dayton, “turned a very stressful day into a celebration and needed break for our family,” says Jessica West, Bentley’s mom.
RMHC Dayton allowed the Roberds/West family to stay together during a time when they wouldn’t have been able to. “I couldn’t imagine what our family would have done without The Ronald McDonald House. It would have been hard to be around my oldest son Zachary Jr. because it was RSV and flu season and he wasn’t allowed in the NICU, says Jessica West.” “If we weren’t able to stay at RMHC Dayton, we would have had to make a long trip back and forth spending less time together, says Zachary Roberds, Bentley’s dad. Throughout the last 6 years, Bentley has overcome many obstacles. His most recent victory was the extreme surgery he underwent in April of 2021 where his doctors at Dayton Children’s Hospital were able to remove his trach and complete a vocal cord reconstruction. During this time, he was placed into a medically induced coma and put on a ventilator to assist with his breathing.
Jessica shared, “During this very difficult time for our family, The Dayton Ronald McDonald House allowed us to step away from the incredibly hard times of having a baby in the NICU. The staff checked in on us every day to check on Bentley’s progress.” Zachary added “The staff is like family, because of the support they offer families during such an emotional and stressful time. The expansion project is a blessing in our eyes, so that no family gets turned away from the services RMHC Dayton provides.”
The Roberds/West family has had multiple stays at the Dayton Ronald McDonald House over the years totaling 79 nights. Since his last surgery in 2021, Bentley has made a full recovery. The families continue to visit and support the House, dropping off donations and stopping in to see our giraffe’s Kennedy and Coco.
