The Montreal Ronald McDonald House is celebrating its 35th birthday.
Opened in 1982 the home has served as a place where parents of sick children who are being treated in hospital can spend time with recovering patients up to age 18.
Jacqueline Mallet, executive director of the house, calls it a home away from home.
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“It’s fully equipped,” she said. “Each family has a room with a bathroom and everything. “They can cook, receive family and even have their other children with them.”
The Montreal Ronald McDonald House is one of 15 in Canada.
The first home was opened in Philadelphia in 1974 and since then, more than 300 have opened in 43 countries. Fifty families can be accommodated daily at the Montreal site and they see 2000 families every year.
Mallet says that having a facility like this for sick kids and their families, is vital.
“Research shows that when the families are close, the children heal better and faster. So, this is the thing they need the most — the family.”
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