Millie, Evelyn and Tennyson all needed open-heart surgery...
"Ronald McDonald House gave me the opportunity to create a family when I had no one here. The friendships I have made with other families will be lifelong" Melissa, Millie's Mum
At a routine 20 week scan Melissa's unborn baby, Millie, was diagnosed with Complex Congenital Heart Disease. Millie would need treatment ‘straight away’ but it would be hard to know how complex the treatment would be until Millie was born.
As this was a high-risk pregnancy Melissa needed to be close to the hospital to be ready for Millie’s birth and immediate surgery.
"It was important to us that Millie’s brother Tennyson and sister Evelyn could meet their sister before any major surgery was needed" shares Melissa. The whole family, Dad Mark, Tennyson and Evelyn, as well as Grandma Cheryl, travelled 359 km from their hometown Albury-Wodonga to be close to the specialist hospital where Millie would be born. That's when Ronald McDonald House Monash became home.
Tennyson and Evelyn got to meet their perfect sister in NICU just as the family wished. Just two days after being born, Millie was transferred to The Royal Children’s Hospital and her family moved into Ronald McDonald House Parkville where they spent 242 nights as a family while Millie received specialist treatment and survived multiple open-heart surgeries.
Millie's Family quickly adapted to life away from home and tending to a seriously ill newborn baby. Millie enjoyed her first Christmas while staying at Ronald McDonald House Parkville, her family by her side.
On 9 January 2020, her family received more devastating news. "This is the day our world came crashing down" remembers Melissa. Millie was back in ICU after becoming extremely sick on the ward when her family received news that Millie had a cardiac arrest. It took 6 minutes of CPR to revive her.
As this was a genetic disease, Evelyn and Tennyson were both reviewed by doctors. On the very same day as Millie's cardiac arrest, Melissa and Mark were told that their two older children would also require open-heart surgery for pacemaker insertions sooner rather than later.
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded around them, Melissa and Mark's 3 children received open-heart surgery. When Evelyn and Tennyson got the all-clear, they were discharged from hospital to recover at Ronald McDonald House Parkville. Finally, on 24 March 2020, Melissa, Mark, and their 3 children were able to sleep together on the ward - under one roof.
Melissa shares "Supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania gives families like mine the opportunity to support their sick children without the stress of costly accommodation. In a place that allows you to make life long connections."
Millie, Tennyson and Evelyn are one of the thousands of children who have been able to heal while being surrounded by the love and support of their family – thanks to the Ronald McDonald House.
"The friendships I have made with other families will be lifelong. Ronald McDonald House Parkville was so close, I never felt I was too far away from Millie's bedside when things went wrong"
Children like Millie, who has needed months of treatment, miss out on time spent at home surrounded by their family. The purpose of Ronald McDonald House is to provide a safe and supportive home-away-from-home for families when they need it the most.
In 2019 Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania supported 2,402 families.
