April and her partner Michael from Gunnedah never imagined they would need Ronald McDonald House, but now it's a place they will remember forever.

When April's water broke at 30 weeks, she and partner Michael were rushed to the John Hunter Children's Hospital in Newcastle for an emergency birth. Little Sophia came into the world in quite a hurry, but after a few days, the family were cleared to be sent to Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital to be closer to their family in Gunnedah.

Over the next seven weeks, April and Michael went through some significant trials. Initially unsure if Sophia would need to be transferred back to Newcastle or even further to Sydney for treatment after it doctors discovered she had fluid on her brain. It was a great relief to their family that Sophia could be treated in Tamworth, and they could stay together, right near the hospital in Ronald McDonald House Tamworth. It wasn't very many weeks into their stay that Michael popped the question, asking April to marry him under the roof of our House. With a resounding Yes, April accepted his proposal and not long after they were able to take Sophia home, right on the date she was originally meant to arrive!