Please donate now so families like Neen's can get the support they desperately need when their child is seriously ill or injured.
"Ellie and Jasper just accepted Ronald McDonald House as our home - and it was home for 368 days - because we could all be together."
–Neen, Ellie's mum
Just after Ellie’s first birthday, her amazing spirit was truly put to the test.
From their hometown of Dampier, a 15-hour drive north of Perth, Ellie's parents learnt something was very wrong.
She had been run down, and had a full body rash, which doctors thought was viral. But then Ellie’s tummy began to look bloated. This time, her doctor took one look and said: ‘You need to go to emergency straight away’.
The news at Karratha Hospital was shocking: a scan showed one-year old Ellie had a tumour in her stomach.
For 368 days, Ellie and her family called Ronald McDonald House home, taking turns to be with her in the hospital and also spending time with her big brother Jasper at the House. Through treatment, setbacks and catching Covid they could still be together - thanks to Isolation rooms so they could stay without putting other sick kids at risk.
"Ellie was just learning to walk, and I’ll never forget she and Jasper racing walkers down the corridor of the isolation area, just like they would have at home."
Over 500 families will spend their Christmas at Ronald McDonald Houses around Australia. Your support can help it feel like home and keep families together when they need it most.
Ellie's story
"My daughter Ellie is a cheeky, affectionate three-year old who loves nothing more than to annoy her big brother Jasper!
She’s also the bravest little girl I know, because sadly she's had to be.
Ellie was diagnosed with neuroblastoma just after her first birthday – a cancer that forms in the nerve tissue of young children. Within 24 hours we were in Perth and Chemo began that day to shrink the tumour in her stomach.
With our lives turned upside down, all I wanted was to be at home but we didn’t have that option. Thank goodness Ronald McDonald House was a place we could call home and be together."
We didn’t expect it to be over quickly, still I was blindsided when doctors said treatment would take 18 months!
Ellie had so many treatments to get through - stem cell transplants and 12 rounds of radiation. Each one under general anaesthetic. Then, in a big setback, Ellie suffered a serious anaphylactic reaction to her immunotherapy and ended up in Intensive Care, which was so frightening.
There were plenty of times we were at breaking point. But it didn’t destroy us because Alex, Jasper, Ellie and I were able to be together and do this together, at the House thanks to amazing supporters like you."
–Neen, Ellie's mum
