Family tackles 210km charity challenge after more than 100 days in hospital

A Blenheim family whose 3-year-old has spent her life in and out of hospital plans to walk, run, cycle or swim 210 kilometres this month to support other families facing similar trials.

Frankie Horsley-Roche was born in October 2019 with Down syndrome and a heart failure, and underwent an open-heart surgery at the Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland when she was 4-months-old, while her family spent the week at the Ronald McDonald Domain House.

Then last year she was diagnosed with leukaemia and her family spent 90 days at the Christchurch Ronald McDonald House.

“Since August 2022, Frankie has been fighting leukaemia and so far in 2023, she has only spent New Year’s Day at home,” her mother Jen Horsley said.

READ MORE:
* Rare condition can’t hold Mason back
* Touching letter of thanks to Wellington’s Ronald McDonald House revealed 25 years after teenager’s stay
* Teenager flies to NZ for rugby trip of a lifetime, discovers he has leukaemia

After being born Frankie was flown by Life Flight to an intensive care unit at Wellington Hospital, and she returned in 2021, when she had surgery to help straighten her eyes.

Between the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch trips the family had spent more than 100 days in Ronald McDonald houses.

Horsley said she was pleased to have Frankie back home since Monday, and grateful for the help the Ronald McDonald houses gave to her family during tough moments.

“They understand how you feel about having a sick child. You can all talk, you can cry, you can laugh,” Horsley said.

“To be able to stay so close to the hospital, when your most precious little human is on the ward, is huge.

“When you have a child that needs hospital treatment it can be very stressful financially. To know that you’ve got a safe, clean room to stay in is amazing – the last thing you want to worry about is if you can afford to be with your child.”

Frankie was at home in Blenheim now, playing with her siblings Oscar and Joy, but she would have to go back to the hospital over the next three years for “ongoing maintenance”, Horsley said.

“Everybody’s journey is different. Every child is different. So we never like to say we are not going to be here again because you just don’t know.”

During the month of March, the Horsley family was taking part in the House to House challenge to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities. It would be their third year taking part in the 210km challenge – the average distance families travel to get to a Ronald McDonald House.

But this year they would do it differently, Horsley said.

Horsley would team up with two other people from Blenheim who had received help from Ronald McDonald House too, and her husband Paul and son Oscar would make a second team.