In 2015 when tiny hand-sized Hendrix was born at just 25 weeks weighing only 760grams, Uralla mum Amy cried.

Amy, 26 years old at the time and living in Bateman’s Bay, needed to spend months at the John Hunter Children’s Hospital in Newcastle to care for her little one. Without family or friends in Newcastle, Amy didn’t know where she would stay or how she would afford to stay in a hotel or rent.

But Ronald McDonald House was there for them, opening their doors and arms to provide the support that Amy and her family needed. “If we didn’t have Ronald McDonald House I don’t think we would have survived it. Having those people at the House telling me to eat and get some sleep was like having a family. They didn’t even know me, but they just loved me and loved everyone who came through those doors.”

Returning to the House recently, four years on, was an emotional time for Amy, but for Hendrix who never spent any time in the House back when he was born, it was fun. Eating pancakes, seeing the beautiful birds and unwrapping his special knitted gift.

To give back to the House that gave so much to her, Amy has called on her local community to show their support for RMHC in any way they can.