LOCALS and visitors are being urged to buy a burger and support sick children on McHappy Day.
McHappy Day will return to the region on November 16 to support Ronald McDonald House (RMH) charities.
Swan Hill McDonald’s restaurant manager Siobhon Barry said McHappy Day was one of McDonald’s biggest fundraisers for RMH.
“It’s incredibly important for regional families to have somewhere to feel safe and secure when they are going through the hardest time of their life,” Ms Barry said.
“It’s really important they have a place to stay so they don’t have to stress about hotel bills or location, and that they close by to their children.
“RMH is not a sad place, it’s a bright, colourful and happy environment and just the most amazing place to be in a time when it’s really bad.”
Local mother Tegan Hare expressed her gratitude for RMH after her daughter, Meika, was diagnosed with Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma of the orbit in December 2018.
“Meika was just nine years old when she was diagnosed,” Ms Hare told The Guardian.
“She started to get lethargic and was complaining of headaches, sore eyes, feeling sick and not wanting to go to school.
“The first sign was the pea-sized lump in her orbit area and a drooping eyelid. We thought it was just an innocent blocked duct.
“Since then, it has been a whirlwind of appointments, blood tests, scans, surgeries and chemo treatments at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.”
Ms Hare said Meika underwent nine rounds of chemotherapy which lasted about seven months.
“In between chemo, she got worse and worse and was pretty much bedridden towards the end of treatment,” she said.
“Living in Swan Hill, 339 kilometres from Melbourne, there was no way we could have travelled up and back as Meika was far too ill.”
During Meika’s treatment, Tegan and her family stayed at RMH in both Parkville and Fitzroy North.
“We were super lucky to get a spot in the new Fitzroy North RMH building,” Ms Hare said.
“It turned our four-hour travel time into a 13-minute drive to the hospital.”
Ms Hare said the support they received from RMH during their stay was absolutely incredible.
“The staff and RMH facilities not only housed us, they fed and entertained us, brightening our lives in such a difficult time,” she said.
“To go back and know there was food in the fridge and the staff were there to talk to, day or night, made us feel so comfortable.”
Ms Hare said RMH also played a critical role in linking them with families going through a similar challenging time.
“We have made many lifelong friends at the RMH with families who are all in the ‘sick kids club’ and also with the amazing staff,” she said.
“Meika absolutely loved her time staying there and often refers to it as home.”
Ms Hare said Meika will continue to have three monthly scans where they will stay at RMH each time.
“We have just returned from her very first three-month scan with news of no change which is just fantastic and such a relief,” Ms Hare said.
“We have regular physio appointments to try and get her leg strength back and she is attending as much school as she can. She is a tough cookie and her future looks bright.
“We are so proud of how far she has come.”
This year for McHappy Day, McDonald’s Swan Hill will raffle off a cake donated by Angel Cakes and selling socks and helping hands.
“This year’s theme is superheroes so our crew will be dressed up in superhero costumes with balloons and face painting and the emergency services crews will also be joining in,” Ms Barry said.
