The Dyson Family

Our Story

At only 2 weeks old, we found out that our son Callum would need six weeks of treatment after being diagnosed with Bacterial Meningitis. We were overwhelmed and terrified – uncertain about his health and how we would remain close to him during his treatment. The hospital was about an hour drive from our home in Brantford – we knew making that drive twice a day would take a toll on us physically, mentally, and financially.

Thankfully, we discovered that services Ronald McDonald House South Central Ontario has to offer!

In a hurry, I packed a bag from home to bring with us for our stay at the House. In my haste, I forgot my phone charger (a priority item for staying in contact with the hospital, my husband, and our friends and family during this time). I will never forget how the staff quickly went above and beyond to find a charger for me to borrow!

Our stay at the House stretched throughout the Christmas season - the kindness and generosity of the volunteers and staff made our holidays so special. A family tradition we have is driving around our neighbourhood at night looking at Christmas lights. We were sad that we weren’t at home to enjoy that tradition with Callum on his first Christmas. But the holiday spirit at the Ronald McDonald House cheered us up. Their chef made a delicious Christmas dinner with turkey and stuffing, they had Christmas lights on the House shining beautifully, and countless Christmas trees on each floor.

Not only did we stay in a private room at the House for 41 nights, we also made daily use of the Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in the hospital.

We never felt confined to Callum’s hospital room; if we had felt that way, we know our stress would’ve increased…

Without Ronald McDonald House, there would have been countless days spent far from Callum – truly a parent’s worst nightmare.

We heard about the Ronald McDonald House on McHappy Day at McDonald’s, but we never truly understood the impact of their services until our family needed them.

Donations and fundraisers make a world of a difference for families like ours – having Ronald McDonald House’s services means less for families to worry about. With the help of donations, families can just focus on being there for their child without added stress from finances, traveling, and basics like groceries & cooking.

To pay it forward, we chose to fundraise and ended up raising $1400, covering the cost of two dinners+ at the House. It feels very nice to give back to an organization that had taken such good care of us in a time where we really needed it. Thank you to everyone who has and continues to support this wonderful cause.