Feeling Happy
Two years ago, Mum took me to McDonalds to support McHappy Day
"Because, you just never know."
Last year, Mum couldn't take me to McDonalds to support McHappy Day.
Why?
I was in hospital. I was undergoing another round of chemotherapy treatment. Luckily, Sydney Kids Hospital has a Ronald McDonald House attached to it.
Dad slept in the Ronald McDonald House that year.
Mum and Dad still had a Big Mac on McHappy Day.
There were a few times when Mum or Dad called to book a room at the House,
and almost couldn't get a room, because it was too full. Those times, they stressed and worried about where they would sleep and where they would be able to park the car. Luckily, each time, it turned out that there were rooms and they worried for nothing.
Knowing how much extra worry went in to finding 'outside' accommodation
made Mum and Dad so much more grateful for Ronny Macs. (That's what Ronald McDonald Charity Houses are called by people who stay in them.)
The rooms were small and simple, but they were clean and comfortable.
The toilets and showers were communal, but close by.
There was a kitchen and breakfast supplies.
There was a television, for mindless relaxation during scary hospital stays.
And, the rooms had thick walls, so they were quiet. (Except when Josh, from The Block, set off the fire alarm! That was the night that we had been up since 4am, and I had my surgery to cut out the cancer from my liver.)
The Ronny Mac rooms definitely made the hospital stays easier.
Supporting McHappy Day is an easy, fun way to support the Ronald McDonald Houses. Each McDonalds will have a fun atmosphere, fun activities for the kids and lots and lots of red 'Helping Hands' posted to the windows and walls. Every one of those red hands is a gesture of love and support, to kids who are stuck in hospitals, and their families. Last year, that was us.
This year, we are going to wake up to a beautiful view and our last day of adventure in Sydney. But, before we head home, we will be stopping in to a McDonalds and we will be having a Big Mac and buying a Helping Hand...
because, you just never know.
Read our 2012 McHappy Day post
Read our post for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Read the post showing Dexter's cancer, pre-diagnosis
Read My Cancer Story
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