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This Tax Time, Your Gift Can Help Keep Families Together
From Teething to a Life-or-Death Fight: Tobias’s Story
At just four months old, Tobias’s parents thought he was teething. But within hours, he was fighting for his life.
Rushed from Cairns to Townsville, Tobias’s mum Katie flew beside him, while dad Stephen and the kids drove—unsure if they’d arrive in time. What began as an ordinary day became every parent’s worst nightmare. Tobias had meningoccoal disease and was critically unwell.
“We had to let him decide whether to stay or go,” said Katie. “There was never a choice for us. We weren’t going anywhere.”
To survive, Tobias needed all four limbs amputated. Every moment was touch and go.
“At first it was minute by minute… then hour by hour. Then back to minute by minute.”
Through the most traumatic time of their lives, Ronald McDonald House was their lifeline. Katie and Stephen stayed 169 nights — supported with meals, a warm bed, and space for their other children to stay close.
“Without Ronald McDonald House, we wouldn’t have made it. It kept our family together and gave us one less thing to worry about.”
Today, Tobias is thriving — still facing challenges, still returning for care, and still supported by RMHC North Australia.
Your donation helps families like Tobias’s stay together through medical crisis. TOGETHER, we can be the difference.
Choose your impact
$100
Care at a childs beside
Your gift helps provide fresh meals, essential care packs, and laundry access for families using our Family Rooms and Hospitality Carts in Townsville, Mackay, Mt Isa, and Darwin—so parents don’t have to leave their child’s bedside.
$250
A place to stay near their child
An emergency doesn’t wait for the right time. Your $250 gift helps cover the cost of a night's stay at RMHC House in Townsville ($160) and provides meals, toiletries, and emotional support for a family who’s had to leave home urgently to be near their seriously ill child.
$500
Relief for families facing the long haul
Helps families who must travel far from home for weeks or months. Your gift provides practical, emotional, and financial relief during some of the most challenging times in their lives.
