The Gawley family is photographed inside the Fynn & Friends Den at the Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario in London, Ontario. (Photo courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario)The Gawley family is photographed inside the Fynn & Friends Den at the Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario in London, Ontario. (Photo courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario)
London

Local family gives back after unexpected loss

A Dresden family is giving back to the community that supported them after a tragic loss.

After Megan Gawley gave birth to twins prematurely, she and her husband Brad, spent nearly six weeks at the Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario in London while their sons were in the hospital. The couple took their two healthy boys, Keiran and Fynnigan home, but after a year, 16-month-old Fynn unexpectedly died.

"When that happened, we couldn't help think about all of the extra time that the Ronald McDonald House gave us with him," said Megan.

The sudden loss was heartbreaking for the Gawley family but they are also extremely grateful for the support they received through it all.

"It was unimaginable to think of how we would have made things work without the Ronald McDonald House," said Gawley. "We knew the house was something incredibly special and we knew they would give us so much strength to get through that first hurdle into parenting that we had."

In the months that followed, the community came together to raise $65,000 for the RMH in Fynn's honour.

The Fynn & Friends Den at the Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario in London, Ontario.

"That is an amazing outpour of community support," said RMH spokesperson Brianna Evans. "When we received that, we talked to the family about how we could use that funding in the best way to honour the family, to honour Fynn, a young boy gone too soon."

Together, RMH staff and the Gawley family created the "Fynn & Friends Den" on the lower level at the RMH in London.

"We had some spaces that were being underutilized and we wanted to make a new, inclusive space for families where there was something for everybody," said Evans. "The Gawley's worked with our designer and brought the idea to life."

The layout aims to include the common interests of all families while keeping them in one room.

The den features a nook in the shape of a treehouse, a book wall, a fitness centre and an entertainment area.

"The thought of having something that's permanent as his legacy is incredible," said Gawley. "It exceeded all of our expectations."

The den had its official opening at the RMH on June 30, 2021.

"Fynn was a little boy that had such a spark in his eyes and no matter what room he was in, he was able to light it up with joy," said Gawley. "We have a place to keep that joy going for other families and families when they are most in need."

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The Toronto Blue Jays lost to Baltimore 16-4 and 3-2 in Tuesday's doubleheader. They're back on the field this afternoon to close out the four-game series.