Ronald McDonald House in Auckland provides families with accommodation and support while a child is receiving medical care.
Ronald McDonald House in Auckland provides families with accommodation and support while a child is receiving medical care.
Opinion by Wayne Howett
Wayne Howett is the chief executive of Ronald McDonald House Charities. He encourages everyone to spare a thought (or coin) for those who will have a very different summer break this year.
THREE KEY FACTS
Ronald McDonald House Charities provided more than 4400 families with accommodation and support free of charge last year.
The houses provide practical support so families can focus on their child as they receive medical care.
The average length of stay is seven days, but many families will stay for weeks and months on end.
Scorched almonds, Christmas food and Father Christmas imagery are starting to cover our supermarket shelves, reminding us we’re only weeks from the Christmas break.
Kiwis around the country have already booked their festive breaks, Christmas wish lists have been written and kids are excitedly telling their friends about their summer plans. Beach cricket gear will be dusted off and old grease wiped off barbecues in preparation for what’s promising to be a well-earned break after a tough year.
But not every kid will have the reprieve of a holiday at the beach.
Some families will be away from home – but not under the circumstances anyone would have wanted.
I’ve always found the start of the festive season poignant because it reminds me sickness doesn’t run on a work schedule. It doesn’t take a break over Christmas. And it has no sense of occasion.
Every year, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) hosts hundreds of families whose children need to be hospitalised over the December holidays – a time usually reserved for happy memories.
Our amazing staff always put in enormous effort to make everything fun and joyous for the families staying here, with special Santa events, gifts for the kids and festive meals.
But the sad eyes of a sick child’s sibling longing for the beach don’t lie.
The families and kids staying with us would much rather be enjoying their summer break away from the sterile smell of daily hospital visits. It’s not because they’re ungrateful. It’s because this is what the Christmas break should be all about.
I know first-hand what this feels like. Part of the reason I’ve been so committed to RMHC over the last decade is that my daughter has long suffered from the effects of cancer, which has necessitated specialised care. If they had a loyalty scheme for hospital stays, our family would have enough points to serve us a lifetime.
I’ve also seen first-hand the financial impact extended hospital stays can have on a family. For those who don’t live in cities near major hospitals, travelling all the way here and then booking accommodation can cost a fortune.
Families who stay at an RMHC house travel 252km on average to access the specialised facilities at our national children’s hospital, but for 35 years, we have also kept our promise not to turn away eligible families who live closer. We never want New Zealand to become a country where parents have to choose between paying the bills or caring for a sick child.
If RMHC wasn’t available, these families would have to rely on holiday booking accommodation sites or other short-term rentals to ensure they’d have a roof over their heads while their child was receiving hospital care.
Online booking sites don’t have a sick kid discount, so families would have to pay the going rates – which can be crippling even for those with a decent level of disposable income.
For context, booking accommodation in Grafton (near the Auckland Hospital) will set a family of four back around $250 a night over December (if they’re lucky). And remember, this doesn’t include any food and doesn’t come with the guarantee of a decent kitchen, or many of the other services we provide, free of charge.
Siblings Briar Drummond, then 5, and Luke Drummond, then 2, pictured at Starship Hospital a few days after Luke's open heart surgery in December 2019. The family stayed at Ronald McDonald House.
I’ve long said New Zealand should never become a place where Kiwi families should have to choose between buying dinner or taking care of their sick child – and that continues to motivate me a decade into this job.
In 2023, Kiwi families saved a staggering $9,876,204 in accommodation, food and parking costs due to the help provided by RMHC.
This meant these families could focus on caring for their sick children when they needed them most and did not need to worry about falling into the clutches of debt to stay above water.
None of this would be possible without the support of Kiwi families and businesses who donate to RMHC. Every year, they make a tangible difference to families who don’t have the privilege of just getting away from it all.
We regularly receive feedback from families grateful they haven’t had to pay for double accommodation by having to cover a hotel and their mortgage (or rent). The help we provide means they can continue to focus on their children.
And while these families do miss out on a traditional holiday break, we do our best to make sure they are comfortable and enjoy some festivities while their loved ones receive life-saving treatment.
At the very least, this provides a small reminder that the festive season isn’t always about being at the beach. It’s about being present and being able to share a hug or meal with your loved ones when times are tough.
Sometimes that’s all a child – or their sibling – needs to get the spark back in their eyes.
