Mark O'Sullivan
Mark and Kieran's page
Fundraising for Ronald McDonald House Charities
Story
Ronald McDonald House in Lambeth provided a home for my wife Michelle and I for seven months after our son Patrick was born in October 2019 and was subsequently transferred from our local hospital to the Evelina hospital in London with breathing issues.
Before long it became apparent that our stay could be a long one. At one-week-old Patrick developed necrotising enterocolitis which required several gut surgeries and caused significant feeding difficulties. He was also diagnosed with the rare genetic condition that contributed to his breathing challenges, and eventually he had a tracheostomy installed to help with this.
Within a week of Patrick's time at Evelina hospital we were informed about Ronald McDonald House, and we were fortunate enough to be given a room there. Before our son was born, we knew nothing about this charity and the amazing work they do. They have a fantastic building only a few minutes' walk from the hospital, where families of children in Evelina can stay for the duration of their child's time in hospital. To have a newborn child in hospital is a stressful enough time, but when you are away from your home this adds the additional challenge of having to travel to and from the hospital each day, reducing the precious time you can spend with them. To be able to stay close to Patrick during this period was such a huge blessing. To have a clean and comfortable living area, all the facilities you would need, incredible staff who gave you as much space as you needed, and various events and free meals which were kindly organised by staff and volunteers really made us appreciate the kindness of people, while going through such a difficult time personally. We couldn't be more grateful for the support we received from everyone at Ronald McDonald House.
After a lengthy stay from October 2019 until May 2020 Patrick was finally well enough to be discharged, which was an incredibly happy and emotional day.
In April my brother Kieran and I are going to run the Brighton marathon (our first marathon), and would like to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House to help continue the amazing work they do every day for so many families.
Patrick is doing really well since he left hospital. He is now three-years-old and loves crawling around, watching Peppa Pig and listening to stories. He attends nursery, which he also loves. He is a bright and happy little boy who the whole family are incredibly proud of.
