Victorian mother Mindy Monck will never forget the Christmas she felt so sad she simply “couldn’t smile”.
Her 18-month-old son, Ethan, had just been handed a devastating kidney cancer diagnosis and, instead of excitedly tearing wrapping paper off new toys, Ethan was heavily sedated after undergoing gruelling surgery at Monash Children’s Hospital, 200km away from his home in the city of Sale.
“Christmas Day was quite a hard day for us,” Mindy tells WHO. “Ethan wasn’t able to open his eyes or open his presents. It was his first Christmas where he could acknowledge it. He should have been able to open those gifts, [have] us see the happiness on his face, but unfortunately that wasn’t our reality.”
With Mindy and her husband, David, living hours from the medical support their son so desperately needed, the couple were offered free accommodation inside Ronald McDonald House in the grounds of the hospital.
At Monash, the house has two self-contained units and 13 rooms suitable for families. It means those living there while their child has treatment can receive support from caring volunteers and other families going through similar experiences.
That Christmas, the volunteers at Ronald McDonald House put on a lunch – and it’s a gift Mindy will remember forever.
“Dave and I were able to go away from the hospital and try and find some normalcy,” Mindy says. “Amongst the devastation that we were going through, that was the true meaning of Christmas spirit that day. What that house provided was just beyond words.”
The Monck family’s connection with Ronald McDonald House has now spanned 16 years. Ethan has spent more than 600 nights there, and to this day says it “smells like home”.
During one particularly harrowing time, after Ethan suffered a relapse, he and his mum lived in a unit there for an entire year.
“We all hear about the [Ronald McDonald] house – it’s not an unknown thing – but the biggest thing is you don’t truly understand what it means until you know someone that has to use it or you have to use it yourself,” Mindy explains. “I’ll never forget walking through those doors the very first day, and just how welcoming everyone was.”
The volunteers have been there for Mindy, David and Ethan’s sister, Lilly, 14, during milestone moments and heartbreaking ones – including just last year when a different cancer left Ethan deeply unwell once more.
“I remember David saying to me that day that he actually didn’t think he would see Ethan again,” Mindy recalls. “But, you know, that house gave us the time just to be together and face something that was so uncertain.”
Incredibly, Ethan proved everyone wrong and, while his treatment continues, the now 17-year-old has defied the odds. He’s juggling treatment, his Year 11 studies and even a job, ironically with McDonalds.
After hearing his story at the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Gala Ball, the licensees of McDonald’s in Sale asked Ethan to interview for a role in their restaurant.
“I’m just so proud of the person he has become through everything he’s done,” Mindy says. “He’s overcome so many challenges, and he’s become the best version of himself.”
Mindy proudly shared her story to support McHappy Day 2025, which took place on November 15 and, since launching in 1991, has raised more than $79 million for RMHC. The non-profit organisation supports 69,000 families each year, providing essential accommodation and support for families with children who are ill or injured.
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