Thanks to you, Mackenzie's family has found a second home in Ronald McDonald House – and a caring community to belong to.
Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, MacKenzie, 3, was not well for a couple of months and Mum, Tanya knew that something wasn’t right.
“She had been unwell with fevers and viruses over a couple of months before taking her to the hospital,” says her mum Tanya.
From their home in Wendouree, it takes over an hour for Mackenzie’s family to get to Melbourne for treatment and hospital visits. Yet the trip is now more enjoyable, thanks to their second home – and compassionate community - they’ve created in Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania.
Because of you, when exhausted and anxious families like Mackenzies’s arrive at the House, compassionate staff and volunteers are always there, ready to greet them with a warm hug, a kind word and a cuppa. The House is also a place where they find the companionship of other families going through a similar journey.
“It’s nice to be back home but you do miss the big House because everyone becomes like family, you spend so much time with them the friendships you make become extra special,” says Tanya.
“When you are thrown into a medical emergency a place to stay can be the most stressful thing to organise, a small donation can go a long way to help families like ours”
MacKenzie and her family have spent 156 nights at Ronald McDonald House. During Mackenzie’s intensive stage of treatment was when the COVID-19 pandemic put a state of emergency on Victoria. Meaning that Tanya and MacKenzie were isolated without her 3 siblings and Dad, Brenton.
MacKenzie is one of the thousands of children who have been able to heal while being surrounded by the love and support of their family – thanks to the Ronald McDonald House program.
Ronald McDonald House Victoria & Tasmania
Children like MacKenzie, who has needed months of treatment, miss out on time spent at home surrounded by their family. The purpose of Ronald McDonald House is to provide a safe and supportive home-away-from-home for families when they need it the most.
In 2019 Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania supported 2,402 families.
"Staff made us feel so welcome and loved often surprising Mackenzie with gifts, they were helpful with shopping items and always checking to make sure we were ok," says Tanya.
"It was a real family environment"
