“The House saved me and my family”: Maisie’s story

***Trigger warning: This story includes references to self-harm and eating issues***

Maisie was born in 2012 with a rare bowel condition which meant that the first four months of her life were spent at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Mum Michele and baby Maisie were transferred from their local hospital in Blackpool and Michele found herself in a new place, unsure of where she would stay. Ronald McDonald House Manchester had just opened its doors to families and thankfully, Michele was one of the first families to stay in the nearby accommodation.

Twelve years later, Michele began to notice worrying signs that Maisie had began to show – losing weight, struggles with change, and mental health issues. After trying to get a diagnosis for autism, Maisie retuned to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to begin receiving the support she needed. Again, Ronald McDonald House Charities UK were there to support Michele and family through their six-month hospital journey.

I’ve tried to get a diagnosis of autism for my daughter, Maisie since 2016 and fought to make sure that her developmental needs are being met. She had dropped weight significantly due to sensory needs and the pressures that came with her transition to high school affected her as she doesn’t react well to changes.

Maisie developed OCD (obsessive compulsive behaviour) and anorexia, leading to struggles with her mental health, and developed clinical depression and anxiety. She would be known to self-harm and have problems with sleeping. This all culminated in her being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

I continually fought for my daughter to get the help she needed, and we were transferred to Galaxy House at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, a dedicated department treating children with demanding physical and emotional issues. It was there that she finally received a diagnosis of autism. Maisie stayed in Galaxy House for six and a half months and through this time she finally started to get a treatment plan that suited her needs. Galaxy House saved my daughter’s life.

Today, Maisie’s weight has been healthily restored, she no longer self-harms and doesn’t suffer from OCD. We have regular interventions to manage her autism, but now she sleeps properly and is back to enjoying all the things that she used to get pleasure from – whether it be baking, walking, trampolining, or fashion.

Maisie, 12 years old, was hospitalised for three months on and off before she transitioned to Manchester from Blackpool Victoria Hospital. As Blackpool did not have the means for Maisie’s treatment and recovery, I was terrified at that point. However, I had every faith in Manchester as Maisie’s life was saved in that same hospital as a baby where she spent the first four months of her life after birth.

This is when I learned about the accommodation provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities UK. I discovered Ronald McDonald House Manchester in July 2012, when the building was brand new and had just opened a few months earlier. I was provided with a bedroom, support, and comfort for the first four months of Maisie’s life. Maisie was born with a rare bowel condition, only affecting 1 in 35,000. She was a miracle then, just as she is now.

11 years later, after my first stay at Ronald McDonald House Manchester, I found myself back and I would describe my feelings after stepping back into the House as being emotional and nostalgic. House Manager Sally was there when I arrived, remembering her from my first stay. Maisie’s admission to Manchester was so fast. I was worried about how I would get back home to Blackpool. I remember walking to the desk and saying, “I’m back 11 years on, only with the clothes on my back, no money, and no way of getting back to my mother’s to collect my other daughter, Lucie, who is desperate to see me.” I didn’t drive and remembered it had started to get dark, I felt vulnerable and didn’t want to be wandering around the hospital grounds alone.

Sally took me into her office and listened to all my concerns. I went back over to the hospital to see Maisie and my phone rang – it was Sally, telling me a bedroom had become available. I felt like I had won the lottery at that moment. Not only was my daughter’s life being saved, but I also had a place to stay just a stone’s throw away from her. I could now wash, and sleep in nice clean sheets. I could go and pick up Lucie and bring her back to the House, so all three of us could be together as a family. We knew our journey would last for a minimum of six months, so we all began to look at it all as a positive adventure.

We stayed at the Manchester House in 2012 for approximately four months and in 2024 for six and a half months. Whenever I left the House to go home, I always found it extremely emotional. I felt heartbroken to be leaving my ‘safety net’ and the friends and staff I’d come to class as my family. I left recently on 29 July 2024 and still feels raw – we had built our life there for those six months.

The staff are always cheerful and that was incredibly helpful for me when I’d be struggling and going through such a tough time. They managed to accommodate me in so many ways and I cannot fault them one little bit.

Being at the House had a positive impact on Maisie’s recovery. It was comforting for us as a family to know that we could get over to Maisie’s side within seconds if she needed her mummy. Being able to stay also relieved so many pressures. It has a knock-on effect where your well-being is concerned. Feeling scared for the life of your poor child is all that you’re concerned about, but things such as bills at home still need to be paid. Having the support of a charity like Ronald McDonald House Charities UK immediately takes away some of the financial burden, removing the potential costs of having to pay for nightly accommodation elsewhere. Without the House, I would have considered pitching a tent somewhere if it meant being close to Maisie.

I have so many fond memories of the wonderful events that took place at the House. All the staff are just incredible people. I used to make them their favourite dishes to help keep me busy and as a little ‘thank you’ for everything they do for others. To me, they felt like my extended family and helped to keep me feeling safe and comfortable. I miss them all so much after leaving – especially Sally who is an absolute legend to me.

There were touching moments such as waking up to lovely and thoughtful gifts outside of our bedroom door. For example, a Mother’s Day mug, Easter eggs, birthday cards, and even presents. The thought that goes into everything for families staying in the House is just incredible. My children always looked forward to Martin Brower’s delivery of monthly McDonald’s treats. We also got the opportunity to order once a month through Emmie’s Kitchen which would always delivers great meals to the families.

The House not only accommodates the families staying but also our children in the hospital. With their incredible Medical Pass programme, patients can come over to the House (with permission from medical professionals) and spend time away from the hospital environment. There are so many things we could do – enjoy some quiet time in the large garden, watch television in the Day Room, cook meals together and even have sleepovers, bringing a sense of normality back to our lives.

Having the use of the House for family time was a key feature of my daughter’s recovery. At Galaxy House, Maisie’s treatment plan included meeting her goals to gain more time with me throughout the week outside of the facility. Maisie had never slept away from me and her sister so when we eventually moved on to sleepovers at the House away from the hospital, this was a dream come true. I could have both of my girls together with me and this meant the world to us all.

During our stay, we were even lucky enough to be moved into a bigger capacity family room. To help with Lucie’s nighttime routine and give both my girls their own space to play and enjoy each other but also a quiet space to re-regulate for Maisie when she feels overwhelmed.

The food pantry in the Day Room (Grab & Go) was the best thing for my poorly daughter when she visited the House. I believe this helped massively with her recovery. Maisie was so severely underweight, but she always looked forward to seeing what was new in the pantry – both my girls were always excited about this, and it became something to look forward to.

I now support this by sending shopping deliveries to the House to be used for the Grab & Go pantry. It is such an amazing idea for parents who forget to eat and don’t have time to cook sometimes when their minds are focused on the worry of their children over at the hospital. It works as a fantastic reminder for all the families to take of their wellbeing to be strong enough to support their children’s recoveries.

I was able to bring Maisie over to some of the House events. This helped keep her busy and her mind occupied. She enjoyed Easter, chocolate moulding and the McCain barbeque. Maisie had her face painted and sometimes assisted me with helping clean up in the Day Room. Because Maisie is highly sensitive to noise, she sometimes finds the activities difficult. This meant that we could use our bedroom to take a break and then join again when she was able to. I do believe that lots of these events helped to ease her depression and lift her mood after everything she had been through. It gave us a chance to step away from the ‘doom and gloom’ of the hospital environment and enjoy spending time together as a family as we would do at home – all of which would have not been possible without the Medical Pass programme.

Knowing we’d be staying at the House for a long time, I needed to get Lucie to school, and I had to apply to get her into one. During this time, Sally supported me in getting some one-on-one tutoring from the hospital school, who would come over to the House to teach her.

Lucie, aged nine, got involved in all the activities and events generously put on by the House. She even got inspired by baking cakes to raise money for the Charity. Lucie also made a special speech to a garden full of people at a special McCain partnership launch event with her best friend. Lucie had met her new friend in the House, and they had bonded over their similar experiences of having a sibling in hospital, for very similar reasons.

I’ve also made friends for life by staying at Ronald McDonald House Manchester, who I class as precious and dear to my heart. As a single parent, I was traumatised by what felt like such a lonely road ahead before finding support from the House. My heart was shattered, and I was terrified of losing my precious daughter. But I remained resilient and found solace in helping other parents and supporting them too.

I haven’t yet returned to the House to visit but I intend to do so as I’d like to give something back by singing at one of the upcoming Manchester House’s special events.

If anyone approached me about considering supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, I’d tell them to go for it! You simply don’t realise how valuable these Houses are and how amazing they can be until you unfortunately need to stay there.