A TOOTGAROOK mother with a sick daughter is training for a gruelling 120 kilometre walk to raise money for the charity Ronald McDonald House.
Barb Hilder, coincidentally of Ronald Street, will take part in the five-day El Camino Trek for the Kids, Spain, 10-19 May, in support of the service which provides emergency accommodation for seriously ill children and their families.
Ms Hilder’s daughter Katelyn, 17 next week, was unwell from birth. “At five weeks we had a call to say she had cystic fibrosis – an incurable, life shortening chronic disease.
“We lived at Kyabram and had to attend the Royal Children’s Hospital – more than three hours’ drive away – and spend a week there learning how to manage this cruel disease. This was our first introduction to Ronald McDonald House.
“As you can imagine it was a very distressing time for our family. Katelyn had four older siblings and this affected our whole family, so being able to have somewhere to stay while she received treatment helped keep the family together.
“We often stayed at Ronald McDonald House but sometimes it was full as there were so many families needing accommodation for their very sick children.
Ms Hilder said families felt overwhelmed by news their child was sick and then felt stressed by financial concerns and she hopes to help ease those pressures by raising $3500 on the walk. She will pay her own travel and flight costs.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 13 March 2018
