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Doctoring a House
Les White helped start the Ronald McDonald House in Randwick, Australia. Now he tells families he meets about the House and the services it provides.
When Les White received medical training in the United States in the 1980s, he saw first-hand how comfortable accommodations in or near a hospital could help seriously ill children and their families. The pediatric cancer specialist knew that families in his country of Australia often had to travel far for their children to get treatment. He had seen many anxious parents and sick children during his career, and he knew establishing a Ronald McDonald House in Sydney, Australia, would help those families. As the executive director of the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Australia, Les tells families he meets about the Ronald McDonald House at Randwick, which opened in 1991. “Many families say to me, ‘I just don’t know how I will cope,’” he says. “So the first thing I do is tell them about the Ronald McDonald House. They are immediately reassured to know they will receive not only comfortable accommodations but emotional support from staff, family and other families.”
Family Finds a Home at Randwick
The Sutton family found a web of support when they stayed at the House in Randwick off and on from 2004 to 2006. When 6-year-old Jessica was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, she and her family had to fly from their home in Coffs Harbour, Australia, to Sydney Children’s Hospital — a 330-mile trip. Although there was no alternative for Jessica’s treatment, the traveling took a financial and emotional toll on the family. But they soon learned about the House.
“When Jessica first was diagnosed, we thought our lives were over,” says Trevor, Jessica’s dad. “But while we were in so much turmoil, the volunteers and staff at the House were always there for us. There were other parents to talk with who were in the same situation as we were. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without the House.”
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