Ella & The Dixon Family

There is a scale for rating pain called the McGill Index. Right at the very top is an agonising condition Ella Dixon from Southland is still working through in her life.* It started with a small rugby injury that got re-tweaked. It was quite minor, but in very rare cases the human nervous system over-reacts to a small injury, as if it was massive trauma.

“Her foot and lower leg quickly changed colour and became cold. Incredibly painful,” explains Ella’s Mum, Megan. This is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or CRPS. This brave 15-year-old is courageously trying to beat it and manage its unbelievable levels of pain and the breakdown of important bodily functions.

Ella’s pain was so intense, her local hospital could not manage her suffering. So Ella was transferred to the care of the Pain team at the National Children’s Hospital in Auckland.

“We would have travelled anywhere,” Ella’s Mum said, but they had no family support at all in Auckland. What they did have, though, was the ‘home-away-from-home’ at Ronald McDonald House.

“How amazing that place is,” Megan says. “We wheeled our bags over from hospital – because it’s such a short walk. Those amazing women, they are just incredible.”

Megan and Steve would have been happy to sleep in a room near the hospital. Instead, she was overwhelmed by her lovely, comfortable haven so close to her daughter in hospital. She was also blown away by the other facilities provided for families – “Those kitchens!” – and the teams of volunteers from businesses and organisations coming in to cook. “I just constantly said, oh my gosh, this is amazing!”

Ella was hoping to be out of hospital by Easter, but that was not possible. To cheer her up, the Ronald McDonald House team left some treats at Megan and Steve’s door to take to Ella – “the biggest bag of Easter eggs I’ve ever seen! Unbelievable!”

“I took it over to Ella. She loved handing them out. She said, ‘Happy Easter from Ronald McDonald House’ and gave them an Easter bunny.” Ella made the coolest Thank You video, saying ‘Oh my gosh, Ronald McDonald House, you have made my Easter.’

Then, when it was her birthday, Volunteer Fran made Ella a beautiful birthday cake.  Fran and the other volunteers and staff who were there during lockdown have done so much for this young girl who has suffered such intense pain.

If her parents had been staying in a motel room, Ella could never have left hospital to visit with them. The wheelchair, the taxi, the trip, the barren motel room – it would all have been too much. Instead, she was able to leave the hospital and spend time at Ronald McDonald House. “She got to know and love that place – and the staff,” says her Mum.

CRPS is a chronic condition, but it does respond, as it slowly has for Ella. ‘We never in our wildest dreams thought we would need to stay at Ronald McDonald House for three months!” Very few families could afford such a long stay in a motel while their child was in hospital – but “it’s amazing how Ronald McDonald House made it all possible,” says Megan.

CRPS may be the highest pain on the McGill index, but being in hospital far from her parents would have been unimaginable. The Dixon family was able to put the worst pain of all far behind them and would like to thank Ronald McDonald House for keeping their family close.

*It reaches approx 42 out of 50 on the McGill Pain Scale, higher than non-terminal cancer, higher than amputation of a finger without anaesthesia. 

From https://www.burningnightscrps.org/sufferers/pain-scale/

Parker and the Shefford/Walsh Family

Alana Shefford was 20 weeks pregnant with Parker when she learned he had an unusually narrow aorta, his heart’s main artery – but that was all the information they could give her. So, when Parker was born, they didn’t know how things would go.

‘The first 24 hours were all quite positive,” Alana remembers. Suddenly, that changed. Parker started making some very frightening noises … “grunting sounds.” Tests revealed that the capacity of Parker’s little heart had fallen to less than half of normal.

Alana was told she needed to urgently rush with Parker to National Children’s Hospital in Auckland. Less than two hours later, they were on their way – on a night unlike any other in the history of New Zealand.

“I ended up going up on the plane, the night before lockdown.”

As our whole country was shutting down, Parker began fighting for his life in hospital, while Alana found herself knocking on the door of a locked-down Ronald McDonald House.

“My first impression was amazing – a ‘home-away-from-home’. Being at Ronald McDonald House was the best feeling. The caring nature of the staff. How close was I was going to be to Parker. I was so thankful for it.”

“I was astounded by the facilities. A nice clean comfortable room with everything I needed, so I could just have a cry or check in with the hospital.”

Lockdown brought many challenges for families with a child in hospital. With no flights, Parker’s Dad Chris was stranded at home. It was very hard for him.

The House itself was under a strict lockdown, but a few of the amazing volunteers were still there. The usual contact between families had to stop, but Alana was comforted knowing others were there.

As a new mum, Alana needed to use the Expressing Room, and even during lockdown she was still able to. This was carefully rostered, and Alana got to use it every three hours, with lots of sanitising by the staff in between. “Without COVID-19 it would have been a really nice place to meet other mums. But it was awesome still having access to those facilities.”

She was also very grateful for the nutritious food supporters had provided. ‘Wholesome food for a breastfeeding mum. Just so nutritious and yum – not what I was expecting at all.”

With so much fear and uncertainty around Covid, Alana was reassured by staff’s safety protocols. “The cleaning was so rigorous and they were very strict. I definitely felt safe, that’s for sure.”

Alana was able to give her full attention to baby Parker’s treatment.
“When your child’s going through that, you just don’t think about other things. I didn’t have to worry about accommodation or paying for it or cooking meals when I got home. I was so grateful”

Alana and Chris always knew their little boy would need open-heart surgery, and how risky it was. “Amazingly, all went well. We ended up only being there for two weeks, which was just incredible!”

The really good news is that Parker will not need any more surgery. “His is more of a repair job.” But if Alana did have to stay at Ronald McDonald House again, she says “I know it would be a happy experience. They were amazing.”

Even several months later, Alana begins to cry as she thinks about the sanctuary provided to her when Parker was so very ill.

She developed a strong bond with her lovely room there. “It was so comfortable and clean. I couldn’t imagine going through it without that ‘home-away-from-home’ near the hospital.

“People say to me, I don’t know how you did it. I always say, if I didn’t have Ronald McDonald House to go to, it would have made it so much worse. I will be forever grateful.”

Diagnoses by Room Nights

Antenatal/Prenatal – 5%
Cardiac – 17%
Medical – 3%
Neonatal (NICU) – 17%
Neurology – 10%
Oncology – 15%
Surgical – 7%
Renal – 5%
Other – 16%
Respiratory – 4%

Note: Numbers identified are from Ronald McDonald House Auckland and Wellington programmes. This does not include Ronald McDonald House South Island. 

Diagnoses by Families

Antenatal/Prenatal – 5%
Cardiac – 18%
Medical – 3%
Neonatal (NICU) – 9%
Neurology – 10%
Oncology – 7%
Surgical – 16%
Renal – 4%
Other – 23%
Respiratory – 5%

Note: Numbers identified are from Ronald McDonald House Auckland and Wellington programmes. This does not include Ronald McDonald House South Island. 

100,000 Kiwiburgers

From July 29 – August 12, $1 from every Kiwiburger was kindly donated to RMHC New Zealand. McDonald’s set the goal: to reach $100,000. Their customers heard the call-to-action to help support Kiwi families.

McDonald’s Hutt Valley annual Golf Tournament

Chris and Liz Boon and the McDonald’s Hutt Valley team worked tirelessly to make this event one to remember, raising an outstanding $75,000.

Share the Love

From October 28 – November 17, McDonald’s restaurants across the country encouraged customers to buy a $1 Heart sticker, to help fill the House with love.

In total, Share the Love raised $192,117. This provides 1,123 nights of accommodation for families with a child in a hospital away from home.

Classics at Ōhope

A weekend full of vintage cars, caravans, rock ‘n’ roll, and craft food which raised a huge $15,000. Thank you McDonald’s Whakatāne, Ocean Ford Whakatane and the Ōhope Beach Top 10 Holiday Park.

In-store fundrasiers

McDonald’s Franchisees and crew find all kinds of creative ways to help support RMHC New Zealand, hosting bake sales, sausage sizzles, and raffles within their local communities and restaurants. Each fundraiser, no matter the size – adds up to make a huge difference.

Photo caption: McDonalds Massey Road and Papatoetoe sausage sale and bake sale

Supper Clubs

In 2020, three Franchisee-led Supper Club events were hosted across the country, collectively raising $404,000.

A huge thank you to the Rotorua, Dunedin, and Wellington Supper Club Committees who overcame all of the obstacles of 2020 to support families with a child in hospital.

Despite the challenges COVID-19 was starting to cause, the Rotorua Supper Club organising committee spent months making this event a huge success, raising $158,000.

McDonalds Dunedin ambassadors hosted their 9th Supper Club, with over 650 guests the event raised $168,000 and had an amazing support local model.

The Wellington Supper Club included a cocktail party and auction this year with Ben Atwill from Ray White stepping up to be the auctioneer, raising $78,000.

Photo caption: Justin and Eterei Stonelake at the Dunedin Supper Club

Sponsor a Room Campaign

Two top Ray White agents – Ben Atwill and Brendan Shefford – are hard at work marketing room sponsorship opportunities in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. These 1-3 year sponsorships give individuals, businesses, communities, and family groups a way to purposefully invest in their community.

A Little Ray of Giving

Ray White’s annual ‘A Little Ray of Giving’ calls on local communities to collect Christmas gifts for those in need. Thank you to Ray White Kingsland, Ray White Takapuna, Ray White Ellerslie, Ray White Eastern Group in Auckland, and Ray White Full Circle, Ray White Metro, Ray White Ferrymead in Christchurch – for bringing festive cheer to families with a child in hospital at Christmas.

Photo caption: Ray White Takapuna

Events

Despite a difficult year for fundraising, Ray White offices have once more gone above and beyond. Ray White Whangamatā hosted the eighth annual golf tournament, raising over $14,000. Ray White Manukau was unable to run their breakfast events due to lockdown, so they co-ordinated four Trade Me auctions – including signed Joseph Parker boxing gloves that sold for $750. Ray White Howick’s fashion event raised $15,000 on the runway. Ray White Mount Maunganui & Ray White Papamoa’s pub quiz and charity auction fundraiser ran for the third year in a row – raising $5,000. Thank you Ray White for all your support!

Photo caption: Ray White Howick – Karen Goosman and Wayne Howett

Volunteer Support

Ben Atwill of Ray White Wellington, Chip McCabe from Ray White Kemeys Brothers, and Cameron Brain of Ray White City Realty Group have donated their time and talent to support fundraising events with their excellent auctioneering skills. Larissa Tuhaka from Head Office has also championed our Mission at every opportunity. Thank you!

Photo caption: Ben Atwill at Wellington Supper Club

CHAIR: Mark Conelly 

Mark has held several senior finance positions, including CFO at several large NZ retailers. He has 30 years’ experience in governance roles within the not-for-profit sector (including CanTeen and the Child Cancer Foundation – he was recognised with Life Membership awards with both). He is an Independent Director and Chair for several commercial entities and is the Chair of the largest independent school in NZ. Mark also provides CFO services to a range of businesses, including currently acting as Interim CFO for Trademe Limited. Mark is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and NZ and a Chartered Member of the NZ Institute of Directors.

Sandy Moore 

Sandy had a long career in senior management roles in the Marketing and Communications sectors which included 20 years as the Group CEO of the DDB Group of companies. He is now an independent board director and holds directorship of The Auckland Racing Club (Vice-Chairman). Sandy’s involvement with RMHC began when the first Ronald McDonald House was built in Wellington in 1991. Sandy has, through his own personal network and his brainchild marquee event, “The Red Shoe Ball”, contributed and or facilitated millions of dollars to the RMHC mission in New Zealand. We would like to thank Sandy for all his support and his guidance at a board level over the past 30 years.

Ata Te Kanawa 

Ata Te Kanawa is a Senior Communications and Engagement Advisor in the Māori Economic Development Unit of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. She is the founder of Miromoda – The Indigenous Māori Fashion Apparel Board and the former independent publisher of Tu Mai magazine and Chair of her whānau and trust. Ata is actively involved in the wider Māori community and committed to fostering iwi engagement with RMHC New Zealand.

Ben Rose

A proud father of three, Ben has experienced first-hand the difference being close by a hospital can make to both the patient and broader family. Ben founded and runs Australasian sales growth consultancy The Growery. An experienced marketing and sales executive, Ben’s career has seen him driving the brand and growth strategy for many brands, including Tourism New Zealand, ASB, Adidas, and Nissan. A previous sponsor/partner of RMHC New Zealand, Ben is delighted to contribute to the mission of the organisation. 

Julie Neilsen

Julie is an ex-school teacher and business owner. Julie is currently employed as the Family Support Manager for Heart Kids NZ and is a parent rep on the ANZ Fontan Registry. She has volunteered with several Not-for-profit organisations in a variety of roles including counsellor, trainer, committee member, and Board member.

Malcolm Swan

Malcolm (Mal) Swan is General Counsel for McDonald’s Restaurants NZ and has held many senior legal roles within large corporations and law firms over the past 20 years. Mal is a current chair of the Advertising Standards Codes Committee and is a past school trustee and PTA Board member. Mal is committed to providing better outcomes for children and is actively involved in junior soccer and basketball.

Rosemary Escott

Rosemary is the Nurse Manager at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Wellington Hospital which as well as managing a 40 bed Intensive Care Unit involves overseeing neonatal surgery, an active transport team, and education. She is a member of several national reviews and reference groups for neonatal services. In addition to her clinical roles, she has held a variety of roles in community groups and charities including chairperson for a private kindergarten.

Sam Maharaj

Sam owns and operates several McDonald’s franchises in Auckland with his wife Angela. His company, Maharaj Corporation Ltd, has received the prestigious Golden Arch Award for the top 1% performing franchisees globally as well as Franchisee of the Year award. Sam supports a number of community groups & youth sports teams and is a former Chairman of the McDonald’s Franchisee Group.

Scott Brown

Scott has held several senior strategy and finance roles across the Food & Agri-Business, Media, Energy and Telecommunications sectors over the last 20 years. Scott is delighted to support the RMHC New Zealand mission of supporting New Zealand families when their child is in hospital.  Scott is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and NZ and a Chartered Member of the NZ Institute of Directors.