COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hospital stays are no picnic for children. That's why the Ronald McDonald House Charities has been around for generations, but one in Ohio can now help more families than ever. 

What You Need To Know

• The Ronald McDonald House in Columbus recently expanded, making it the world’s largest


• The Columbus location added 86 more rooms to accommodate more than 6,000 families


• The Ronald McDonald house in Central Ohio has been around for nearly 40 years and is located directly across the street from Nationwide Children's Hospital

The Ronald McDonald House in Columbus added 86 more rooms to accommodate more than 6,000 families. It’s now billed as the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world, supporting families like the Magyar’s.

“You know, no one expects to have something like this happen,” said Laurie Magyar.

Laurie Magyar is spending time with her granddaughter Nora, while her youngest granddaughter Isla is recovering from open heart surgery.

Isla is 8 months old, but she was born with health complications and has Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, which is a rare genetic condition that can cause developmental delays, seizures and breathing problems.

“She was in the hospital for three months initially, another month when she had the pulmonary issues, and a week or two with the open-heart surgery,” she said.

With every hospitalization, the Magyar family always had the Ronald McDonald House, and this year, it’s helping even more families like theirs. 

Chief Marketing Officer Ryan Wilkins says their recent expansion has a lot to do with it.

“The fact that we’ve been able to literally double the size of the Ronald McDonald House means so much because we’re going to be able to help 6,500 families every year now,” he said. “So that’s 2,000 more families than what we were previously able to do before we did this expansion.”

Because of that, the Central Ohio location is currently the world’s largest.

While families like Magyar’s are grateful for Ronald McDonald’s support, Nora often thinks of her baby sister.

“Feel better, Isla,” Nora said.

The Ronald McDonald house in Central Ohio has been around for nearly 40 years and is located directly across the street from Nationwide Children’s Hospital.