“I quickly went home and packed a bag with a couple of changes of clothes, drove to Kalgoorlie, and then never went home again.”
It was a Friday morning that started like any other. Ayla’s husband Ben went to work, she dropped two of her kids, Cassie and Raiden, at school. But for her then 5-year-old daughter Rosie, it was a trip to the local GP after she had been experiencing some minor nosebleeds and her teachers had reported she was falling asleep in class.
Unfortunately, this visit quickly turned into a 230km journey to the nearest hospital in Kalgoorlie.
Not long after arriving, Rosie underwent a blood transfusion, and they were put on a plane to Perth Children’s Hospital for further testing.
Upon arriving in Perth late that night, Rosie was diagnosed with High-Risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
“You hear about things like this, but you never think it’s going to be you.” says Ayla.
Far from the comforts and support of home, Ronald McDonald House Charities WA (RMHC WA) emerged as a beacon of hope in their darkest hour.
“I don’t even know how we would be functioning without it. I don’t know if we would’ve been able to find somewhere to live and I don’t know if mentally I would be in the same place. I’ve got no one in Perth. Unless my family makes the 800km journey to visit, we are completely on our own. To have a support network here has been huge for my mental health.” Alya says.
Fast-forward to now, Ayla and Rosie still haven’t returned home and for over 650 nights (and counting), many of which were sleepless, they have called RMHC WA their home-away-from-home.
Despite monthly visits, Ayla’s husband Ben is still based in Leonora where Cassie and Raiden are in school, and he works to keep the family financially afloat.
Spending time apart from Cassie and Raiden has been particularly difficult for Ayla. But when they do come to visit, RMHC WA provides a space for them to soak up much-needed quality time and focus on what's most important - being together.
“Everyone knows them. The volunteers even know what they like to eat. They come back and it’s like they never left.” says Ayla.
Ayla hoped she and Rosie could return home in March of 2024, however, due to several hospitalisations over the past year and no fee-free accommodation options in Kalgoorlie, Rosie's doctors are concerned that the 2.5-hour drive to the nearest hospital is too far from adequate medical support.
Having now been at the House for the past two Up All Nights, cheering on those walking for families like theirs, Ayla and Rosie are among many WA families who are grateful for your support.
Just like the stars guide us through the night; Up All Nighter’s serve as beacons of hope for families like the Wheelers, raising vital funds that will ensure RMHC WA can continue to be there during their darkest hours.
