Eliza McFarlane's family encourages Bathurst to support McHappy Day

In August, 2022, when she was four, her family took her to see a doctor, concerned about some bruising on her legs and the nose bleeds she was having.

They thought it might have been an iron deficiency or something similar. Never did they expect a blood test, which was returned in two hours, to lead to a leukaemia diagnosis.

Eliza was rushed to Bathurst Hospital straight away for a platelet and blood transfusion, and then transferred by road to Sydney.

"It was a lot to take in. It turned our lives upside down," her mother, Lisa McFarlane, said.

Eliza spent eight months undergoing intense treatment at Westmead Children's Hospital, with her mother there beside her every step of the way.

Without Ronald McDonald House, the entire family would have had to go through the stress of uprooting their lives in Bathurst and moving to Sydney, all while its youngest member was fighting cancer.

Instead, Mrs McFarlane was able to stay in Sydney with Eliza, while her husband Nathan and their eldest daughter Evelyn visited on weekends so they could keep up with work and school in Bathurst.

Was it the easiest experience in the world? No, but it was much better than the alternative.

"Without Ronald McDonald House, we would have had to have sold our family home here in Bathurst," Mrs McFarlane said.

"My husband would have had to find a job in Sydney. We would have had to find a new school for our eldest daughter, Evelyn. We would have had to find a rental in Sydney just to be close to the medical care Eliza needed."

She said Ronald McDonald House was "an absolute lifesaver" for her family.

Eliza was able to come back to Bathurst in April, 2023, but remains on oral chemotherapy treatment and needs to go back to Westmead for appointments every three months.

When those check-ups occur, the McFarlane family is able to stay at Ronald McDonald House.

The vital service is provided to sick kids and their families for free, which allows them to fully focus on the needs of their child.

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That's why the McFarlane family hopes the Bathurst community will come out in force on Saturday, November 18 to support McHappy Day, which raises money for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).

That money is then used to support children like Eliza and their families during one of the most difficult times of their lives.

"I honestly don't know how we'd ever be able to repay Ronald McDonald House just for everything they have done for our family," Mrs McFarlane said.

She encouraged people to visit their local McDonald's on McHappy Day and buy a Big Mac, as $2 from each one sold goes directly to RMHC.

McDonald's will also donate 10 cents from every 600ml bottle of water sold.

Alternatively, people can buy a pair of silly socks for $5.95 or a Helping Hand for $2, $10 or $50 to raise money for RMHC.

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