The Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region was forced to close its doors for several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s managed to still help families like Hannah and Josh Gies, who welcomed their first child, Judah, to the family on July 16.

“On an ultrasound two weeks prior, they discovered he had fluid around his heart,” said Hannah.

Doctors diagnosed Judah’s condition as epicardial infusion. And when Judah was born, he was taken straight to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Albany Medical Center.

“For the first week, we were commuting back and forth, and that was a little rough,” Josh said.

The Gieses live more than an hour away in Fort Plain. And with COVID-19-related restrictions in place, visiting Judah was difficult.

“It’s really hard to leave your child at the hospital,” said Hannah, “especially when we were so far away.”

Luckily, the family was able to connect with the Ronald McDonald House, less than a mile away from the hospital.

The organization helps provide families a place to stay and food while their children undergo treatment.

“We’ve got all sorts of serious illnesses and conditions that bring families,” said McDonald House Charities of The Capital Region CEO David Jacobsen.

The cause, though, has become challenging amid the pandemic, which forced the Ronald McDonald House to close its doors for several weeks.

“We’ve provided for more than 80 families and more than 1,200 nights of hotel stays,” said Jacobsen.

Every month, it costs about $50,000 more than what is budgeted. The organization is looking for funding, and is New York’s only finalist for a Hope at Work award for the Pella Organization.

The $50,000 award is awarded to an organization that has gone above and beyond during the pandemic.

“That would essentially maintain our operations for a full month,” said Jacobsen.

But it’ll be up to the public, who can vote online on which organization they think is most deserving through August 24.

It’s safe to say the Ronald McDonald House has at least three votes already in the bag. On Tuesday, Judah was released from the hospital and is finally home in Fort Plain.

“Thinking about the amount of hours that I wouldn’t have spent with him is crazy,” said Hannah.

“Seeing other people going through it … it makes you, I guess, feel like you’re not alone,” Josh added.

Aside from monitoring his condition, it appears Judah’s future is bright.

If you’d like to cast a vote in order to help the Ronald McDonald House, you can visit its website.