On the 10 July 2019 out little girl Olive Amélie Egginton entered this world far too early at just 25 weeks weighing in at a tiny 1 1/2lb. At this point I had been on bed rest for 8 days desperately trying to hold on and prevent the inevitable; for those 8 days my husband slept uncomfortably on hospital floors or in cold Manchester car parks. 

After Olive arrived we were extremely lucky and got given a room at the Ronald McDonald House Manchester where we lived for many months. At this point neither of us really knew what this house was but were grateful to have a bed and be within a few seconds walk from our very poorly baby. I can only describe this house and it’s staff as Angels sent from Heaven ❤️❤️❤️  It became our home, they became our friends, it was our respite, entertainment, you name it they were that and far more.

At the time Olive was born we already had two children, Etta just a little one year old herself and Christian our (at the time) 13 year old son. Both of our children were welcomed with open arms and provided with the facility to stay. Etta turned two during our stay with the house and they happily allowed us to host her 2nd birthday where 70 of our friends and family attended ... hospitality beyond words. 

Bringing Olive home was a dream nobody would even talk about for a very long time, a subject people find very difficult to broach but for this house it’s what they do daily with countless families; talking about the good but unfortunately a lot of the time and for a lot of families the devastatingly bad :-( and they do it with such empathy and grace. Olive remained in hospital for 130 day and for a large chunk of this Ronald McDonald was our home, they welcomed our family and closest friends with open arms and for that we will be eternally grateful. 

These people go to work to do their jobs daily but to others it’s so much more ... This charity and the people who work there are beyond anything you could ever put into words; it is a place that unless you are unfortunate enough to need you may not even realise who they are or the importance of their presence. 

Fundraising is key to this charity as they ask for nothing from their families ... Not a single penny. Sponsoring rooms is something that families can do to give back. Each and every time I entered our room the plaque on the wall gave me hope that one day I may well take my baby home, that there might just be a happy ever after 🥰🥰🥰 I would love nothing more than to have a plaque made to celebrate our girl; it be mounted on the wall in the hope it gave another family living their own personal nightmare the strength and hope that things can turn out ok. We were a lucky family and for that we will be eternally grateful but  in such testing and emotionally draining times hope is everything ❤️ Hope is needed.

From the Egginton family to The Ronald McDonald House we will forever be indebted to you ... thank you, our love runs deep. Xxxx

❤️11 days in we smashed our target❤️

We have now introduced our second target of 10k ... This amount of money will pay for a family to be housed for 365 days ... That is something no amount of money can buy when in those types of situations ... Imagine saying I did that, I helped them ❤️❤️❤️