The Harris family sitting in our courtyard.

There’s nothing more terrifying for parents than when your newborn baby stops breathing.

On March 9, 2018, Dereck and Jasmine Harris performed CPR on their 4 month old baby girl Joslynn. Jasmine was frightened when their baby girl “turned a blue color” Joslynn being a preemie, this behavior occurs more often in babies who are born prematurely.

The Harris family rushed Joslynn to Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Tulare, CA. It was there that Dereck began giving his baby girl CPR and the next thing they knew, the Air George aircraft was there.

After the Harris family arrived at Valley Children’s Hospital they made the decision that they needed to stay close to Joslynn and they made reservations at a local hotel for about 3-4 days. Shortly after the reservations were made, Dereck received a call from Joni, Family Services Coordinator that there was a room available at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley.

Dereck and Jasmine have three other children, Jaslynn, 8, Jailyn, 3, and 4 month old Dereck III, who is Jocelyn’s twin brother.

The last thing parents think about when rushing out of the house is grabbing shoes or extra clothing. Jasmine left in socks when she left their home in Tulare.

“The staff was so helpful after coming home from a long day at the hospital, they brought me anything I needed,” said Jasmine. The Harris family felt fortunate to be able to have their daughters Jaslynn and Jailyn come stay at the Ronald McDonald House on the weekends so they could all be together. Being at the Ronald McDonald House was such a relief having access to anything she might have needed.
The Harris family checked out of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley on May 23, 2018. Checking out of the hospital Joslynn passed her car seat challenge and is making noises and making great progress.

“My baby is back!”