The gate opens and Michelle Osgood and daughter Zoe drive

out of Christchurch’s Ronald McDonald House for what should be

the last time.

As they turn onto the road, they see a crowd forming a guard

of honour along the entrance to the House, waving and

cheering them away.

It’s the Ronald McDonald House team, the people who a year ago

were unknown to them, but now, after 270 nights, they are family.

“We felt like we were moving home, not going home,” Michelle says.

“Ronald McDonald House has been our home away from home.”

It was July 15, 2020 when Michelle, husband Phill, son Lucas, and

14-year-old Zoe of Blenheim arrived at the House in a bit of a daze,

having been told two days earlier that Zoe had osteosarcoma - a

type of bone cancer in her knee. The diagnosis was a surprise to

say the least.

In March, Zoe had complained of leg pain, but it had seemed

minor at the time.

“Like many mums, I told her to put a bag of peas on it and it would

come right,” Michelle said.

Unfortunately, the pain continued to get worse. The doctor thought

Zoe had injured her knee cap and prescribed physio. But after two

and a half months of treatment, and no improvement, they ordered

an MRI to see what was happening below the surface.

“We had the MRI on the Friday, and on the Monday the GP called us

in urgently. I honestly thought she was going to tell us Zoe needed

knee surgery, but instead she told us Zoe had cancer, that it was

bone cancer, a 2cm tumor on her thigh bone and that we would be

going to Christchurch for treatment.

“In that moment I instantly thought they had made a mistake,

because there was no way a leg that needed a bag of peas, needed

chemotherapy. I was absolutely in denial.”

By the time they walked through the doors of the Child

Haematology and Oncology Centre (CHOC) two days later, Michelle

and Zoe still had no idea where they would be staying for the nine to

twelve months treatment was expected to take.

“It was there we got told we would be staying at Ronald McDonald

House, and I remember thinking ‘that’s where really sick kids go,

maybe she really is sick’ but it still hadn’t really dawned on me.”

Keeping families close™ www.rmhsi.org.nz | Ronald McDonald House South Island | @RMHSouth

WINTER 2021 / NEWSLETTER #75

Cont. page 2

Southland SpiritPage 7

A space to recharge Page 4

An Invaluable GiftPage 1-2

AN INVALUABLE GIFT

“They all knew who we were, that we’d done a stint in hospital, when we

were going back, how things were going. Not once, did we ever feel like we

were in the way.”

Michelle’s mother also stayed at the House for four months as her support

person. During the second Level 2 lockdown, she wasn’t allowed to visit

the hospital where Zoe and Michelle were staying.

“The CHOC Family Room volunteers became the go-between between us,

letting us know how she was going at the House and vice versa.”

The generosity of everyone who contributes

to the House with their time, money, or

goods, was humbling, Michelle said.

“You have made a real difference to

families’ lives.

“When I think about what it

would have cost us to rent

a place or stay in a hotel for

as long as we needed, plus

food on top of that, it doesn’t

bear thinking about. The

funding you get from the DHB

wouldn’t cover all of that. We

couldn’t afford to do that.

“When we left, I wanted to give

something back to the House, but I

couldn’t put a value on it. What they’ve

given us is invaluable, we’ll never be able to

repay what they’ve done.”

As the weeks and months rolled by, Zoe went through

chemotherapy, surgery to remove the tumour, and several

knee replacements.

When Christmas rolled around, Michelle’s parents

came to stay at the House while Michelle and

her husband stayed with Zoe at the hospital

so they could welcome Christmas Day

in as a family.

“In the morning, my parents came out

of their room to come to the hospital

and outside the door was a big sack of

presents - not just for us, but for them as

well. They brought them over to the hospital

and we were able to open them all up together.

We were then allowed out of hospital for the day,

so we went back to the Ronald McDonald House - that was our

home, so that’s where we went and had Christmas dinner. It

was amazing.”

While the facilities at Ronald McDonald House gave Michelle and

Zoe a place to rest comfortably in between treatments, it was the

people who made the House feel like a home.

“What is understated when you hear about Ronald McDonald

House is the amount of love and support everybody there gives

you, no matter what their job is,” Michelle said.

“The people who work there are just a special breed. The

volunteers in particular, it’s not a job for them, they could

volunteer anywhere but they choose here.

“What is understated when you hear about

Ronald McDonald House is the amount of love and support

everybody there gives you, no matter what

their job is.”

Zoe with brother Lucas

New Family Room for Christchurch Hospital

Zoe adding her bird to the family tree as she was leaving Ronald McDonald House South Island

Taking her wheels for a spin on Christmas Day Zoe attending physio Cathy Bond Anastasia Frater

The Ronald McDonald Family Room, Christchurch Hospital has

officially opened.

The three-bedroom Family Room is located within the new

child health wards in the Waipapa Building and includes three

sleeping rooms with ensuite, a laundry room and communal

kitchen, lounge and dining spaces, as well as computer and

printing facilities.

It comes as a need for such accommodation hits a peak. Last

year, 943 families from across the country stayed at Ronald

McDonald House South Island.

Thanks to the support of the Māia Health Foundation, Canterbury

DHB, and our very generous donors, Ronald McDonald House

can extend its services within the South Island to give even more

families what they need during a challenging time – each other.

Meet the Team: Anastasia Frater and Cathy Bond, Ronald

McDonald Family Room Coordinators

Anastasia Frater has admired Ronald McDonald House South

Island for some time.

Years ago, a couple from her church spoke of how Ronald

McDonald House had helped them and when her own sister was

born with a cleft pallet and required hospital care, Anastasia could

see just how important a place like a Family Room would have been

to help her family have some downtime during those tiring days.

So when her University degree required her to do a volunteering

placement in the community, she specifically requested to be at

Ronald McDonald House.

“I kept coming back because I enjoyed being able to contribute in

a way that was making a difference to families. I enjoyed building

relationships with the families and like-minded volunteers and I

was challenged and humbled by the courage of the children and

their families.”

When the role for Family Room Coordinator came up, it was the

Ronald McDonald House team, and Jan (Nottingham) in particular

who persuaded Anastasia to apply.

“I trusted Jan and knew the House was good to its volunteers,

and with my husband also working at the hospital, this was the

ideal position.”

Anastasia hopes the new Family Room will be a place where

families can go to ‘have some space to breathe and experience a

little bit of kindness’.

“I hope to make them feel welcome and be a familiar face who can

contribute in a small way to make them feel at home, like how Jan

did at the main house.”

Meanwhile, having been made redundant due to the Covid-19

pandemic last year, Cathy Bond found herself looking for

volunteer opportunities on the Volunteering Canterbury website.

“I wanted to keep myself busy and give something back to the

community while I was looking for work.”

When Ronald McDonald House reopened after the

lockdown, Cathy began helping out with administration work

once a fortnight.

“I kept coming back because I really enjoyed the team.

They were so positive and friendly and I thought

it would be a great place to work should any

opportunities arise.”

As fate would have it. Cathy was approached

about applying for the role.

“It sounded like such a lovely role, so I

jumped at the chance,” she said.

“The Family Room is fantastic - just a bright

and welcoming home-like feel to it. I am

there for the families to offer them support and

keep the room functioning, whether that means

working on the computer, making beds or cups of tea,

I’m being whatever the families need.”

“Whilst I will never try to understand what anyone else is going

through, I can provide my knowledge, strength, warmth,

bubbly personality and smile to both the families and fellow

team members.”

Find out more about the Ronald McDonald Family Room,

Christchurch Hospital by visiting:

rmhsi.org.nz/what-we-do

“I kept coming back because I enjoyed being

able to contribute in a way that was

making a difference to families."

Thanks to the generosity of so many, Zoe and her family received a sack of presents on Christmas day

Christchurch Hospital and the new Waipapa Building The kitchen facilities at the Family Room

Makarewa mum and Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland

Hospital volunteer Sandra Finnerty knows first-hand how

difficult things can be without the support Ronald McDonald

Family Rooms provide.

She shares her story.

February 2011 is a month I’ll never forget. I was 31 weeks pregnant

when a routine visit with my midwife ended with me in Southland

Hospital after my blood pressure sky rocketed and I had

developed severe pre-eclampsia. Two days later, Sara was born.

She was tiny, weighing only 1250g. She had some issues with her

lungs and was flown to Dunedin Hospital and put on a ventilator.

I joined her 24 hours later, and for three weeks we stayed in

Dunedin, away from our home with very little support. I was able

to stay onsite, but my husband Nigel had to stay at a hotel. Being

separated from him was difficult.

We returned to Invercargill and Sara spent another five weeks at

Southland Hospital’s Neonatal Unit (NNU) while we travelled to

and from home each day to see her. Despite knowing Sara was

being well cared for by the wonderful doctors and nurses, this

was still a difficult time.

The Neonatal Unit is a very

emotionally charged place. When

you are there for hours on end, it’s

exhausting and there was nowhere

to escape. When I did leave her to

go home to sleep, I suffered from

the guilt of not being with her. The

Ronald McDonald Family Room

didn’t exist back then.

Two years later, in November

2013, I was 24 weeks pregnant

when the unthinkable happened

and I developed severe pre-

eclampsia again.

I went to the hospital for some tests.

As soon as the results came back, I

was ordered onto a bed and told

I’d be transferred to Dunedin. I was

a bit in denial about how serious

things were. I rang my husband at

work to let him know,

and he offered to come

but I told him there was

no point as nothing would

happen that night. I was

wrong. Everything became a

whirlwind up until the point they told me I’d had a baby boy. He

weighed just 510g.

This time, we were in Dunedin for three months with Cooper.

When we first arrived, accommodation was scarce, but we

eventually found an apartment 15 minutes from the hospital. It

was hard going.

The hospital staff were great, but we just felt so hopeless. Nigel

was back at work so would come to Dunedin Wednesday to

Sunday. I remember one Tuesday night, I got a call at 2am from

the hospital saying they had to resuscitate Cooper again. It was so

hard because I had Sara and couldn’t leave her to go see him.

Returning to Southland Hospital’s NNU, was like returning home.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room had only just opened and we

were warmly welcomed in by Helen as day visitors.

I was blown away by the facility and how much easier it made life

when you are living in the hospital bubble. To be able to walk out

of the Neonatal Unit and take time to have a cup of tea and get

something to eat, read a book or relax in a comfy chair while only

being 20 metres away from your baby made all the difference

to my mental health. When visitors arrived, instead of hanging

around with your baby and getting in the way of other families,

you could take them to the Family Room to catch up.

When Cooper was 15 months old, he was admitted to the

Children’s Ward and the nurses arranged for me to stay at the

Family Room for the week. I got to learn first-hand about the

comfortable rooms and wonderful care provided for people

needing accommodation.

Two years ago, when Cooper started school, I began volunteering

at the Ronald McDonald Family Room with Helen as a way of

‘paying it forward’.

I would really encourage anyone who has the time to volunteer

at the Family Room. It isn’t hard work and you get far more out of

it than you put in. It’s such a lovely warm, clean and welcoming

environment and such an asset to the Southland community.

A space to recharge

“Our goal was to raise awareness and raise money for Ronald

McDonald House, as well as have a fantastic event. I definitely

think we achieved that!” Maree said.

This was the 11th year M Factor Fashion Show has run.

Record amount raised at Fashion Show

The M Factor Fashion Show raised a record $85,000 for New

Zealand Ronald McDonald Houses this year.

After being cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown last year,

event organiser Maree Lucas was elated with the support the

show continued to receive.

“I was absolutely thrilled at the engagement for our fashion

show this year. The amount of people wanting to sponsor,

donate, model, watch, or just be part of our show in some way

continued to show me what a special charity Ronald McDonald

House is,” she said.

This year, rugby stars Joe Moody and Brodie McAlister as

well as More FM’s Gary McCormick and Speedy were among

those modelling items from some of New Zealand’s top

fashion designers.

Events Calendar 2021JUNE

Christchurch Supper Club presented by Alliance Group

18FRI

JULY

Host a Roast™

DATE

ANY

OCT 1FRI

Queenstown Supper Club presented by Alliance Group

NOV 6SAT

Ray White Christchurch Home & Garden Tour

DEC 4SAT

Miles Toyota presents A Day at the Polo

Sara and Cooper

Host a Roast™ is on again this July. In 2020, this phenomenal community event raised over $70,000 for Ronald McDonald House South Island and with your help we hope to raise that again. The concept is simple – Host a roast, brunch or lunch, inviting your whānau, friends or colleagues to attend for a donation to support Ronald McDonald House South Island’s family programmes.

Below, one of our amazing Host a Roast-ers share their experience.

Ray White Te Anau

The Ray White Te Anau team’s Host a Roast™ and Quiz event

almost didn’t happen thanks to the second Covid-19 level 2

lockdown in August.

Business owner Tania Hefford said the Ray White team liked to do

an annual event for the community and decided to Host a Roast™

and Quiz night in support of Ronald McDonald House.

“We, as a team, are mostly mums of small children and we feel

this is a very important cause. We personally know families

in our community who have used Ronald McDonald House

facilities and understand the hardships families must go through

during that time.”

They approached the local working men’s club who did the roast

at cost and each sales team member purchased a $100 voucher

from a local business which were raffled off during the night.

With the night sold out – 130 tickets in total – the Ray White team

were ready to go, until a change in alert levels meant group

gatherings were restricted.

“We were very disappointed as we had put in so much effort and

work and we were ready to push the go button. It meant we had

130 people to follow up with and let them know it was postponed.”

Fortunately, most were able to attend the later

date in November.

“The vibe was great, everyone was happy to

be there and there was lots of catching up

happening. The raffle was popular, and

during the quiz we had some ‘guess the

verses in songs’ questions which had

people up and singing.”

The team had a goal of raising $1800, and

smashed that, raising more than $3000

on the night.

“We were extremely happy and we hope to raise more

this year! The crowd were very excited to have raised that amount

too – there was a lot of clapping and cheering,” Tania said.

Host a Roast™ at your place

this July.

Register at hostaroast.kiwi

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SOUTHLAND SPIRIT The latest happenings from the Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland Hospital

It was a night to remember with Invercargill Supper Club guests

dining at some of the most unique and exclusive venues in town.

The event began at The Church 1914 where guests heard from

Kat Moses who stayed at the Ronald McDonald Family Room,

Southland Hospital when her son Bodhi was born prematurely.

“I was a huge supporter of this charity before, but after my six

weeks stay, I cannot even put into words how much respect and

love I have for Ronald McDonald House South Island,” she said.

Guests were then whisked away to dinner which included being

on display in the window of H&J Smith Department Store; on the

stage at the Civic Theatre; and at Southland Boys' High School.

Thanks to the generosity of attendees, the event raised more

than $42,000 which will go directly to support families who stay

at the Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland Hospital.

Invercargill Supper Club, presented by Alliance Group

Our most common diagnoses* are:

Families come fromFamily statistics for between January – March 2021

NELSON

QUEENSTOWN & LAKES

CANTERBURY

MARLBOROUGH

OTAGO

SOUTHLAND

NORTH ISLAND

WEST COAST 20%

5%

10%

17%

6%

6%

27%

9%

1,981 overnight stays

92%OF THOSE FAMILIES WERE FROM THE SOUTH ISLAND

FAMILIES STAYED FOR

AN AVERAGE OF

10 nights

$277,340 IN ACCOMMODATION EXPENSES

(BASED ON A RATE OF $140/NIGHT)

We saved families

24% Neonatal

15% Surgical

11% Oncology

11% Other

6% Gastrointestinal

5% Antenatal

4% Ear, Nose and Throat

4% Accident

4% Psychological

4% Medical

3% Neurological

3% Ophthalmology

2% Renal, Liver and Kidney

2% Respiratory

1% Orthopaedic

1% Cystic Fibrosis

BETWEEN JANUARY –MARCH 2021, WE PROVIDED A

'HOME AWAY FROM HOME' FOR

253

families

Have some loose coins? Pop them in the moneybox at Table Talk Café in Gore to help support the Ronald McDonald Family Room

Limehills School SVA member Milly Scott accepts a certificate from Fundraising Advisor Andie Gentle in recognition of five years of continued support

If you're in Southland and

keen to learn about the many ways you, or your

business can support the Family Room, please email

Fundraising Advisor Andie at

andie@rmhsi.org.nz

Jump n Fun Trampoline World owner Cameron O’Donnell is one of several new moneybox hosts in Southland

The Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland

Hospital has experienced a huge jump in

occupancy during the first quarter of 2021.

Our accommodation statistics show an

average of 95 percent occupancy during

this time, which is a 14 percent increase

from the same time last year. To date 42

families have been accommodated with 57

children in hospital care.

If you have a spare hour or two and would

be keen to help out at the Family Room, we

would love to hear from you. Please email Helen at

familyroom@rmhsi.org.nz for more information.

You may have spotted Lime Hills School on TVNZ’s Good Sorts

segment recently. These amazing students have recently

celebrated five years of making food for those staying at the

Family Room every week as part of its Student Volunteer Army

programme. Good sorts? You bet!

We are thrilled to welcome some new Moneybox hosts

including MSK Ultrasound Southland, Jump n Fun, Kayes Bakery,

E Hayes & Sons, Veggie Boys (Invercargill), Table Talk Café and

H&J Smith (Gore). These businesses know that small change

can make a big difference – thanks for your support!

Thanks also to the generous team from LUG South who

supported us with LEGO prizes at their Brick

Show in May. With help from some

fantastic Southland Boys’ High School

student volunteers, we sold all our

raffle tickets, had many happy

winners, and raised some much

valued funds for the Family Room.

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OUR PEOPLE: OUR SUPPORTERS:

Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland Hospital Kew Road | Invercargill 9840

03 214 8910 � familyroom@rmhsi.org.nz

Ronald McDonald House South Island 33 Cashel Street (Cnr Cashel and Montreal Streets) | Christchurch 8140

03 377 3311 03 377 3414 � admin@rmhsi.org.nz

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jock Muir (Chairman) Dave Whalley (Deputy Chair) Kipp Alexander (Treasurer) Bruce Davis Janetta Skiba Chris Youngman Wendy Schmidt Julie Hands

YOUNG PROFESSIONALOlivia Egerton

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Mandy Kennedy

GENERAL MANAGER OPERATIONS Sharon Cocker

FRONT OF HOUSE / ADMINISTRATION Mary-Ann Roberts Maureen March Anne Thomas

COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR Geraldine Tyas

FUNDRAISING ADVISOR Nia Gardner Andie Gentle

MAJOR EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER Jodie Gill

RONALD MCDONALD FAMILY ROOM, SOUTHLAND HOSPITAL SUPERVISOR Helen Walker

ACCOUNTS ADMINISTRATOR Steffany Davis

HOUSEKEEPING Leanne Carson Lyaine Tinkler

AFTER HOURS SUPERVISOR Lauren Keenan

RONALD MCDONALD FAMILY ROOM, CHRISTCHURCH HOSPITAL COORDINATORS Anastasia Frater Cathy Bond Rachael Paterson

Peter Clarke Ph: 021 224 5058E: peter@roeprintservices.co.nz

Designed by TimeZoneOne Ph: 03 366 5229 www.timezoneone.com

Thanks to all our wonderful supporters.

If you would like to donate, head to

www.rmhsi.org.nz/donations

NEW & RENEWED ROOM SPONSORS:RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE SOUTH ISLAND:

TRUSTS & GRANTS:

Our sincere thanks to Pub Charity for their generous grant, which funded the design and production of this newsletter.

RONALD MCDONALD FAMILY ROOM, CHRISTCHURCH HOSPITAL:

Ronald McDonald Family Room, Christchurch Hospital Level 7, Waipapa, Christchurch Hospital, 4 Riccarton Avenue | Christchurch 8011

03 364 0640 � familyroomchch@rmhsi.org.nz CHRISTCHURCH HOSPITAL

PAPANUI ROTARY CLUB Jordan &

Talia Green

John & Joy Doak