Illness often arrives out of the blue. For Peggy, a happy, healthy eight-year-old from Bendigo, it came quickly and unexpectedly.
“One day, she became very, very sick” remembers her mum Tannah, a kindergarten teacher. When Peggy was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the news was gut-wrenching. “It still is”, says Tannah. The family was immediately transferred to Melbourne for treatment.
“Our world had been turned upside down. We didn’t know day from night, left from right.”
Relocating to Melbourne tore the family from their home. From their support network. From their three other children, who needed them. Peggy’s mum left her job. Her dad took extended leave. They were facing eight months of treatment in a foreign city, where they knew no one. Then, a nurse referred them to us – Ronald McDonald House in Parkville.
“When we first went to the House, it was stocked with food – milk in the fridge, bread. There were cleaning supplies, towels, all those things you don’t think about when you’ve got so much else going on. Just provided.”
For the first few weeks, Peggy’s dad stayed at our Parkville House. “Being able to come back from the hospital, have a warm shower, sleep in a nice bed – that was incredible for him”. The weeks morphed into a year of the whole family staying with us intermittently, in both shared spaces and isolation units. Peggy’s unit is fitted with a bed, couch and TV, plus games and puzzles – “all those things that are perfect when you’re not feeling well”, says Tannah. And across the street is a sprawling park, where Peggy can stroll with her parents.
The family is utilising one-to-one tutoring through our Learning Program too, keeping Peggy’s education on track even as she misses school. Best of all, having safe and reliable accommodation means Peggy’s parents can take turns being in Melbourne and in Bendigo with their other children, and bring them to see Peggy on weekends.
“If we didn’t have [Ronald McDonald House], I honestly don’t know what the process would have been for us. It’s life-changing.”
For now, Peggy’s prognosis is good. Through the hardest journey of her young life, she’s staying strong. “I just want her to be happy, to reach her goals”, says Tannah. One of these goals is to go to the beach, and her family is working towards it.
Tannah’s advice for families facing similar circumstances? “When people offer you something — as hard as it can be — say yes. There’s always time to give back later down the track. But right now, these things are here because we need them. We need the help. The support. The charity.”
“Donating, even just a little, has really saved us at a time when we’ve been so out of our depth. All donations are greatly appreciated by so many families.”