When 3 year old Vinnie had a prolonged seizure while at preschool in his home town of South West Rocks, he was rushed to the John Hunter Children’s Hospital. The following four months were a roller coaster for his parents Nicole and Cade, as Vinnie endured test after test trying to understand what happened and how to treat him. Vinnie was finally diagnosed with a rare white matter brain disease, probably brought on by a simple virus.

Nicole, Cade and Nicole’s parents were able to stay close to Vinnie with the help of Ronald McDonald House Newcastle. “It was our ‘home away from home’ for those months while Vinnie was in hospital, and eventually we were able to have Vinnie stay with us at the House, as we transitioned back to South West Rocks,” says Nicole.

It’s been five weeks since the family was able to go home and Nicole says Vinnie is loving being back, “He is very happy here, and the rehab is going well. We are making good progress with his walking and feeding. He is still having a number of small seizures a day, so we will be coming back to Newcastle soon for more tests.”

“Vinnie has always been a healthy kid, and we never thought we would need Ronald McDonald House. We are so grateful to everyone who supports the charity, so families like ours are able to stay together and close to our sick child in hospital.”