A CARING mum has thanked a charity that has enabled her to be near her young son during his lengthy stays in hospital.
Josh Narrie, 4, has spent more than half his life in hospitals in Glasgow and Edinburgh after being born with a complex heart condition.
Mum Claire and dad John, who is a crew commander with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service at Newcraighall, have spent hours at his bedside and the couple have stayed at both Ronald McDonald House Glasgow and Edinburgh since the birth of their son in November 2017.
The 12 Ronald McDonald Houses in the UK are located as close as possible to specialist children’s hospitals.
Last Friday, Ronald McDonald House Charities UK and Ronald McDonald House Glasgow came together for a glittering black-tie ball.
The event, at the Hilton in Glasgow, raised vital funds for families with seriously ill children.
Claire, who works as a paediatric doctor at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh and is joint owner of Musselburgh's Infinity Skin Clinic Edinburgh, described the evening as “lovely” and said: “Friday was incredible.
“Some of our friends looked after him upstairs in the room while we were at the event.
“We were able to completely relax because we were just downstairs.
“We were treated like royalty, it was really nice.
“Josh is doing good – he is full of cheek! He is still very up and down and I would say when he is unwell he tends to be really unwell.
“We make the most of the time when he is good.
“In April, we were in hospital pretty much all that time but he has been out and came down on Friday night in his little tux before the event started.”
Claire and John moved between the Ronald McDonald Houses while Josh underwent surgery.
The Ronald McDonald Houses in Edinburgh and Glasgow have each provided a home away from home on different occasions for the family, who frequently had to visit the hospitals during the night.
Claire, who lives in Ormiston, said: “After such a difficult start to our son’s life, we’ve really appreciated the constant support that the Ronald McDonald Houses in Glasgow and Edinburgh have provided.
“It is somewhere safe and comfortable, allowing us a sense of security during this time, instead of living out of a bag.
“When Josh is in hospital, it tends to be intensive care, so being able to escape for some down time, some food, or even a sleep, makes it so much easier to be apart from him, knowing he’s in the same building.
“The staff are lovely and there’s always someone to chat to, whilst providing a quiet, calm space at the same time.
“I can really focus on my son while I’m here.”
The first ball, in 2019, saw 600 guests from all over the UK attend the event at the Hilton in Glasgow and raise an incredible £82,000.
The money raised from the ball this year will be split equally between Ronald McDonald House Charities UK and Ronald McDonald House Glasgow, who together aim to support 181 families by providing 56 rooms a night at or near children’s hospitals in Scotland.
Families with children undergoing treatment in hospitals across the UK often need to travel for hours to specialist units.
Depending on the severity of the illness, families will make long trips to visit their child or pay for hotels to stay nearby for extended periods of time.
The Ronald McDonald Houses aim to remove this cost and stress.
The houses provide free, high-quality accommodation, including bedrooms for parents and siblings with phones that connect directly to the ward, kitchens, communal spaces and playrooms to allow families to spend time together next to the hospital.
This year’s fundraising target will help maintain the bedrooms and their many facilities, and ultimately keep more families close to their loved ones during a difficult time in their lives.
Ronald McDonald House Glasgow provides accommodation for families with children receiving treatment in the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow and other hospitals in the west of Scotland; and supported families for an average of 26 nights in 2021.
Ronald McDonald House Charities UK has been fast food giant McDonald’s charity of choice since the charity was founded in 1989.
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