Family Story: Nurturing warrior spirit
“I feel relieved only when PY is healthy and happy.” ~ PY’s mother
There is a shared understanding that being a parent to an ill child presents immense difficulties and emotional strain. It is always heartwarming to see joyous expressions on the faces of the children staying at our House. Behind all these courageous, happy smiles are the unparalleled strength and dedication of motherhood that knows no bounds. The mother of a four-year-old boy PY who was diagnosed with leukemia, stands as one of the shining exemplars and she tells us her journey from discovering and accepting to battling the illness of her son.
PY and his parents emigrated to the UK two years ago. Last year, during a trip to visit their family in Hong Kong, he suffered from a fever on and off continuously and was later diagnosed with leukemia at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital.
“We were dumbfounded hearing the news,” says PY’s mother. Unlucky is as lucky does, and thanks to the determination of her and her husband to cure their son, they made quick decisions regarding PY’s treatments every time even though it meant to temporarily leave their lives in the UK.
“It was a big decision to leave our house, our jobs, and even our two beloved cats in the UK behind. But we cannot risk delaying PY from receiving treatment either,” explains PY’s mother. Challenges that came along with PY’s treatments were financial issues and housing arrangements. “We were approached by a medical social worker almost immediately to refer us to RMHC Hong Kong which helped us settle the biggest issue of accommodation we faced at the time.”
Before learning about RMHC Hong Kong, renting an apartment close to the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital first came to her mind. However, given the considerations of a hygienic environment and financial pressure, PY’s mother finally decided to temporarily stay at our House.
Besides taking care of her son 24/7, giving him the right message about his illness is a foremost task to PY’s mother, despite his young age. “I use the storytelling way to let him know what is going on and why that happened to him. This is useful as this gives him the knowledge to understand why he has to endure physical discomfort.”A mother’s emotions are intricately tied to the well-being of her ill child, this is no exception to her. She admits she doesn’t have the capacity to care for her own because she feels relieved only when PY is healthy and happy. However, she thinks that the mechanism of mutual understanding and support provided by RMHC Hong Kong greatly reduces the pressure she is facing.
Some side issues induced by the medicine could be increases in appetite and mood changes, such as irritability. “Fortunately, other families and staff here are very accepting and understanding of the situation. Imagine if we weren’t staying here but renting an apartment, how would our neighbors think of us when there is a sudden outburst of anger from PY.”
On asking what she wants people to know about the experiences and challenges faced by mothers of ill children, PY’s mother ponders then says: “We are not asking for anything but understanding. We hope people would not jump to a conclusion or make complaints immediately if they see a child acting grumpy in public, because behind their grumpiness could be a long and ongoing battle against a disease.”
Volunteer Story: From action to passion
“I always enjoy the positive energy among the kids.” ~ Akina, volunteer
While having a passion for a cause is essential, it is through action that real progress and changes are made. This is particularly true in the world of volunteering and the story of RMHC Hong Kong’s volunteer Akina has shed an insight for it.
Although relatively new to volunteering at RMHC Hong Kong, Akina has quickly become actively involved in a wide range of services that she finds fulfilling. “I am only becoming more involved since last year’s Raffle Ticket charity sales,” she says. But this was not her first encounter with our service as she recalls some years ago that she joined her former company several times to prepare house meals for Shatin House.
Like many other volunteers, Akina experienced a halt in volunteering when the pandemic hit hard on many sectors with strict social distancing measures implemented.
After the pandemic subsided, Akina’s desire to volunteer was reignited. Thanks to today’s communication technologies that have transformed people’s behavior, including how they look for volunteering opportunities, she reconnected with RMHC Hong Kong in just one touch. “Through an APP where many volunteer opportunities can be found, I then reconnected with RMHC Hong Kong and began to volunteer again,” she says.
Akina has been getting more involved since the opening of the Kwun Tong House. And what kept her passion continuing to spark is the learning opportunities that she regards as valuable. “If not volunteering, I would not be able to experience something that will not happen in my daily routine,” she explains. “One of the most interesting experiences was participating in the Gala Dinner last year. I was one of the helpers for the charity sales. The use of the payment terminal was a brand-new experience to me.”
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. One of Akina’s responsibilities at RMHC Hong Kong is to play with our children. “As a ‘play buddy’ to the children of the House, I found it a bit challenging at first because it’s not easy to enter their world. Building trust and rapport is one thing, understanding their interest and using age-appropriate language required a lot of patience and active listening.”
She continues: “But I have enjoyed the process so much. I think it is the kids helping me grow instead. Their courage in fighting against illness is admirable. While they are doing so, they are still able to keep learning new things and are curious about the world. I always enjoy the positive energy among the kids.”
House Story: A true asset with a smile
“Whenever I can help, this truly taught me the meaning of ‘there is greater joy in giving than in receiving’” ~ Olivia, staff of RMHC Hong Kong
A long-standing team member is always important to an organization as their presence creates a sense of reliability and trust in the workplace whilst providing insights on navigating change.
Having one such staff member like Olivia, who has served children and families at Ronald McDonald House for 28 years, is a true blessing for the organization. But for Olivia, it is she who is the fortunate one to not only grow with RMHC Hong Kong but also to take care of many families in need over the years.
From witnessing the first family moving in to Shatin House to today with the service expanded to the second House in Kwun Tong, and whilst her responsibilities evolved, she has overseen many transformations of the organization which filled her with pride.
“Children here are my fuel and motivation to persist in my job,” says Olivia. Many treasured memories are made with families here and she is counting on more. “I recalled one recent occasion when a young boy who needed to use a wheelchair told me that he would walk by himself in two months because he missed home. His determination moved me so much and now whenever I see him, I remind him about this as an encouragement.”
One simple “thank you” can brighten someone’s day and make a significant impact. Olivia has received numerous “thank you” from families over the years but she thinks it should be the way around. “I am the one to thank these families. Wherever I can help, this truly taught me the meaning of ‘there is greater joy in giving than in receiving’.”
Besides families at RMHC Hong Kong she wanted to thank, volunteers who get involved are the people Olivia appreciates a lot. “My time is doubled up when volunteers are there to help. They allowed me to have more time to finish my work whilst I always felt assured that things would be taken care of by them,” she concludes with her usual warm smile.
Sustainable Impact: Building a stronger community
In an era where community is at the heart of our well-being, volunteering emerges as a powerful force for positive change. By selflessly giving their time, skills, and compassion, volunteers become catalysts for strengthening communities.
We are glad to have invited some of our devoted volunteers from different corporations to share their experiences with us.
Laughter is the best medicine
“The facilities and environment of the house create a warm feeling and a sense of home” ~Mandy, member of NWS Volunteer Alliance
During the festive season of the Lunar New Year, the RMHC Hong Kong’s Kwun Tong House was filled with a joyful atmosphere, thanks to NWS Volunteer Alliance who visited the House earlier to do the festive decoration.
Apart from bringing the DIY red packet decorations prepared by the staff of NWS, NWS Volunteer Alliance also created a series of life-size twisted balloons of spring flowers and CNY decors on the spot during their visit, such as daffodils, peach blossoms, mandarin oranges and fortune cats.
Mandy, one of the volunteers of NWS Volunteer Alliance, says that bringing laughter to children and their families who are staying at Ronald McDonald House is what she finds most satisfying. She understands that families with ill or injured children face many difficulties. Through volunteering, she hopes to show them support and care, helping them to overcome the challenges of illness.
Even though Hong Kong is known for its high cost of living, she applauds the ways of RMHC Hong Kong in helping ill children recover by providing them a “home away from home” and free transportation service between the hospital and the House to ease the burden of their families.
Be the steadfast companion on the journey to recovery
“I am impressed by the top-notch design and the architecture of the Kwun Tong House.” ~ Feona, Kerry’s volunteer
In a recent visit to the Kwun Tong House of RMHC Hong Kong before CNY, Feona from Kerry came along with a few colleagues from Singapore and Malaysia for a conference held in Hong Kong. Apart from bringing the chuen hups (candy boxes for CNY) on their visit, they also helped decorate the House with colorful and festive decorations.
Feona found the “Family-Centered Care” service provided by RMHC Hong Kong impressive and meaningful, and as a mother, she understands well the importance of the support and care given by a family for ill children. During the few days of the conference in Hong Kong, Feona arranged for her overseas colleagues to volunteer at RMHC Hong Kong, hoping they could continue to support RMHC in their home cities in the future.
A fruitful volunteering experience
“I have always appreciated the service provided by RMHC, and I hope to bring my son to join their volunteer service in the future.” ~Jenny, volunteer from McDonald’s HK Global Office
“Volunteering is a simple act of giving, and it is a very satisfying process.” ~Sunny, volunteer from McDonald’s HK Global Office
CNY at our House is always brimming with a lively and celebratory ambiance. Thanks to the volunteers who embellished it in festive decorations – this time, the volunteer team from McDonald’s Global!
The service of Ronald McDonald House is never unfamiliar to Jenny, one of the volunteers from McDonald’s Global. Before visiting our new Kwun Tong House, Jenny had experiences volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago, USA twice. She recalled it was Thanksgiving and she joined her colleagues to cook for the children and families staying at the House. They also brought along presents to delight them. In her opinion, she thinks RMHC’s working is meaningful and important for families in need. It has set a good example of offering ill children and their families a sense of home. She hopes in the future she can volunteer with her son to develop a helpful character in him.
Due to work, Sunny, another volunteer from McDonald’s Global, visited Ronald McDonald Houses in Taiwan, Indonesia and Thailand before. He was touched every time hearing stories from local staff of RMHC or volunteers supporting children and families, He was glad to see the opening of the new Kwun Tong House. He hopes more people can learn and support about the work of RMHC Hong Kong, so more families in need could be aided.
Photo captions:
- NWS Volunteer Alliance at Kwun Tong House
- Mandy, member of NWS Volunteer Alliance
- Volunteers from Kerry
- Feona, Kerry’s volunteer
- Volunteer team of McDonald’s HK Global Office
- Jenny and Sunny from McDonald’s HK Global Office
Gift of Love: Let art heal
From the moment one steps through the entrance of the new Ronald McDonald House in Kwun Tong, every visitor will be greeted by the vibrant art pieces that are carefully crafted to inspire a sense of hope and healing.
The “Gift of Love” project is aimed at engaging different parties to create art pieces that breathe life into every corner of the House. We are glad to invite Dr. Lisa Lam, Director, Centre for Innovative Service-Learning and Mr. Tom O’Dea, Assistant Professor, Programme Director of BA (Hons) in Visual Art, Academy of Visual Arts (AVA), Schools of Creative Arts of Hong Kong Baptist University, to share with us the experience on leading a team of talented and budding artists who have created two vibrant murals adorning the House.
How did this collaboration of the “Gift of Love” project come about?
Dr. Lisa Lam: This collaboration was born over a meaningful conversation between Ms. Grace Fung Oei, the Chairperson of RMHC Hong Kong and Dr. Eva Wong, the Consultant of HKBU, to decorate the new Kwun Tong House with art pieces to brighten the days of the ill children and their families. Dr. Wong then brought this “seed of love” to me where the idea found fertile ground.
With the full support of Dr. Albert Chau, Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) and Acting Dean of Arts, and under the guidance of Mr. Tom O’Dea, two talented student-artists were handpicked to turn mere walls into canvases of hope and endearment. It was truly a joy to see how art, creativity and the talent of our students all weaved into this “Gift of Love” project.
What do you think about the service of RMHC Hong Kong?
Dr. Lisa Lam: RMHC Hong Kong meets critical needs faced by children experiencing illness in Hong Kong by enabling families to live together and offering services and resources during challenging times. The newly built Kwun Tong House is a beautiful, uplifting, and safe haven for these children to rest amidst a busy and dense city. It has been designed comprehensively to meet holistic developmental needs and bring communities together. We are grateful for the opportunities that our institution and students can contribute their skills and creativity to better the lives of families in need.
How did the students being selected to take part in the project? What were the criteria or rationale behind it?
Mr. Tom O’Dea: Following a visit to the first Ronald McDonald House in Shatin, I was particularly impressed by the restful and upbeat feeling there and the positive and loving outlook of RMHC Hong Kong’s leadership, support staff and volunteers. It struck me as a very special place for seriously ill children and their families at the most challenging of times and The Love Companions who return to support new families after being previous guests in the House themselves were especially inspirational.
Chairperson Ms. Grace Fung Oei shared her aspirations that the new House, then under construction in Kwun Tong, retains some of the charm and sense of community of the Shatin House despite being much larger. We considered that inviting our talented and caring students to share their gift of love to the children and families in the form of wall art might go some way toward adding some elements of joy and comfort.
We issued a call out to our students for donations of artwork. We were hearted by our student body’s generous community spirit and impressed by the quality of the responses. When we reviewed the submissions from the Academy of Visual Arts (AVA) student body, we quickly recognized that instead of the anticipated collage of multiple artworks, the submissions by Yeung Tsin Tsin and Fung Wing Hung, Rain stood out as being ideal as individual and coherent wall art pieces.
Please tell us about the two artworks. What are the essential must-have elements to be included and why?
Mr. Tom O’Dea: Each artwork has a coherent sense of space and operates in a self-contained way that complements the comfortable, homey and carefully designed interior of the House. Each work offers a joyfully warm imaginary space that has a sense of childlike innocence while being quite aesthetically mature in its way.
Rain’s work ‘Future Land’ developed from digital drawings offers a dreamy fantasy space that the viewer can enjoy being momentarily absorbed into. Tsin Tsin’s ‘Tin Tin Music Band’ is an immersive and raucous artwork featuring a cast of characters developed by the artist over many years that was scanned from an oil painting, making for a very interesting visual texture when scaled up to wall size.
What were the experiences you wanted the students to have through participating in this project?
Mr. Tom O’Dea: As a service-learning project, the priority was for the students to strike a balance between aesthetic and artistic judgement while meaningfully engaging with and serving the community of Kwun Tong House. As the scope of each artist’s involvement became more substantial, the project offered a meaningful professional experience that saw each student apply their interdisciplinary skills developed at AVA by also serving as project designers in adjusting and formatting the wall art pieces in response to feedback from RMHC Hong Kong and to working with the architects and design teams to match the specifications required for high-quality printing tolerances.
After their hard work, it was rewarding to visit KT House during the final construction touches for Rain and Tsin Tsin to oversee the installation of their artworks. They were especially impressed with the quality of paper chosen by the architects and the printing quality that helped make their works resonate. During the return visit after the first group of families had moved in, they were very much moved by the amazing work done by RMHC Hong Kong for the families making their homes there during difficult times and glad of the small difference their work was making.
How do you think the artwork could help our children and families?
Mr. Tom O’Dea: The goal of the project is to help make Kwun Tong House a little more fun for the amazing children and their families. The hope is that the works and the worlds they create can provide a little spark of joy and wonder during difficult times. The Kwun Tong House is a credit to all involved; AVA looks forward to facilitating further volunteering efforts from our community-focused students in the future.
Photo captions:
- Tsin Tsin’s ‘Tin Tin Music Band’ located on 7/F of Kwun Tong House
- Tsin Tsin’s ‘Tin Tin Music Band’ located on 7/F of Kwun Tong House
- A group photograph of the representatives from RMHC Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University
- Rain’s ‘Future Land’ located on 13/F of Kwun Tong House
- Rain’s ‘Future Land’ located on 13/F of Kwun Tong House
Spring into kindness
As the days grow longer and the warmth of spring fills the air, it’s the perfect time to ignite a chain of kindness. Embrace the spirit of the season by supporting our charitable initiatives, extending a helping hand, and spreading hope to keep our families close.
Leaving love to the ill children
At different stages of life, we all can choose ways to do good and extend hope and care to the next generation. By donating your will or insurance policy to the “Legacy Giving Program” of RMHC Hong Kong, you can continue to make a lasting impact beyond your lifetime. Your contribution will help ill children and their families to overcome challenges and regain their health.
You can also consider making a memorial donation in honor of your loved ones, extending the love to the children in need. As a tribute, their names can be engraved on the Donor Wall at the House.
Leave a legacy, extend your love, and help more ill children and their families. Click here to learn more.
Reading with Heart
Studies have pointed out that reading is an activity that integrates physical, sensory, and mental abilities. Cultivating children’s interest in reading from an early age is beneficial to their cognitive development and knowledge learning.
As a parent, if you want to bring your children closer together at home easily and effectively, you are welcome to sign up for the RMHC Hong Kong’s annual “Read for Love” reading program, which allows you to accompany your children to complete the reading program together in four to eight weeks. Click here for more information.
In addition, the “Parent-Child Storytelling Competition” was introduced this year to explore children’s creativity, their interest in learning and presentation skills; and best of all, engage parents and children in a meaningful activity. Registration closes on 20 May, grab your chance now until it’s too late! Click here for more information.
RMHC House Angel
RMHC Hong Kong is going to launch its new membership program, inviting passionate supporters like you to join forces in creating a “home away from home” for seriously ill children and their families. Supporters can become our house angels by registering as individual, family, or corporate & group members.
Customized activities for parent-child as well as employees will be arranged to deepen your understanding of the needs of our brave families. Members’ regular donations would also enable us to provide sustainable homestay and support services for the families. Stay tuned and become part of the RMH community!
For more information on different membership plans, please contact [email protected].
Photo captions:
- Be our House Angels
- Legacy Giving Program
- Legacy Giving Program
- Parent-Child Storytelling Competition