When my 3-year-old daughter Annalynn was diagnosed with leukemia, it was incredibly overwhelming. With doctors telling us to prepare to be in Vancouver for upwards of a year, it seemed like an insurmountable task to keep our family afloat. It was very hard to know that we would be losing income, with the added financial strain of living away from home and receiving complex medical treatments. We were ready to lose everything we had if it was what we needed to do for her to receive treatment. We prepared ourselves for the worst, including selling our home in Armstrong and uprooting our children from our hometown.

That’s when our social worker came into Annalynn’s hospital room and informed us that we would qualify to stay at RMH BC. I remember feeling an incredible sense of relief that we would have a safe place to stay, and that we would be walking distance to the hospital. She assured us that we would be well looked after, and that our other children, James and Mackenzie, could be accommodated too.

It was a huge relief that we would not have to pay months of hotel bills, or try to find a place to stay. I remember being so relieved that our children would be able to come and visit us throughout Annalynn’s treatments and that we could be together whenever we needed. For the first time I was able to breathe and feel like we would be able to settle into RMH BC and face the next year of treatments with the safety net of a place to live.

I had heard of Ronald McDonald House previously through advertisements and fundraisers at McDonald’s restaurants, but never thought I would be living in one and didn’t know what to expect.

My favorite memory is actually the first day that we arrived at RMH BC. Within an hour of our arrival a Family Meal was being served. The staff made sure that we made it down to the kitchen to get a meal. It was the first real meal that I had eaten in a month, and it was when I realized that RMH BC was going to be much more than just a roof over our heads; that they would also look after us and surround us with so much support that it would soon be our safe and happy place amongst the darkest days of our lives.

I had arrived in Vancouver with nothing but the clothes on my back and a backpack of clothes for my child. The staff went out of their way to make sure we had everything that we needed, including walking shoes as I had arrived in sandals. We were introduced to our shared kitchen space and the pantries of food donated by Save-On-Foods, which is an incredible support as we are not always able to make it to the grocery stores in between appointments at the hospital.

Looking after a sick child makes it incredibly difficult to look after ourselves. Caregiver burnout sets in fast, and RMH BC has made life much easier. The incredible meals served weekly by donors, volunteers and staff, the breakfast bar and baked goods have had a huge impact on our family. Every week I look forward to Family Meal days because I know that a burden of care is lifted off my shoulders on those days and that we will all be well fed.