FOR single mother Laura Patterson and her four children the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Perth has made every aspect of their lives easier.
Living at Northam, the family has been a regular at the RMH Perth since Charlotte, 5, was born, having spent 406 nights at RMH Perth.
At just seven months old, Charlotte was diagnosed antenatally with a diaphragmatic hernia and was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for major surgery.
Since then, she has had 49 operations and hospital visits have become a regular part of her life.
For her standard appointments, Charlotte is in Perth once a week but it is common for her to require additional procedures or for her to become sick as she also tackles numerous other diagnoses, including cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, autism and epilepsy.
Without RMH, Ms Patterson said she would have had to spend extended periods of time away from her other children, Joshua, 11, Isabella, 7 and Emma, 3.
"Without this help I think the relationship between my well children would be quite strained or certainly not as close, simply because they would have spent such extended periods of time away from me," Ms Patterson said.
"So if you think about 406 nights spent away from them, that is more than a year cumulatively and that couldn't have helped but have a massive impact on them.
"Also the relationships between Charlotte and the other children would be impacted as I think there's always an element of a bit of resentment when there is a sick child in the family.
"There are these feelings that seem to come up about the disproportionate amount of attention that a sick child receives but I think that would be exaggerated if mum was being taken away as well, as in physically removed from the family."
Ms Patterson said that the financial help by being able to stay at RMH Perth reduced a great deal of stress on her family.
Having previously been a school principal to now being a single mother with four children on a carer's pension, being able to stay in Perth on a regular basis for sometimes extended periods simply was not an option.
"If I had to pay for accommodation in Perth it would really cripple us," Ms Patterson said.
"The food and meals that are offered through the house is also a big help - even if we were able to afford accommodation at a hotel, we would also be paying for the extras such as meals.
"The impact has been phenomenal in terms of what RMH provides and what it saves us as a family, such as emotional and financial stress."
On many occasions, the whole family has been able to stay at RMH Perth to be close to Charlotte when she's receiving treatment, which has also shown to benefit her.
"Almost every time Charlotte has had a surgery or just been really unwell, my son will get in the hospital cot and lay next to her," she said.
"She might not necessarily do anything initially, he just lays next to her and she just puts her head on his shoulder and you can tell that she's instantly comforted by his presence.
"That can only happen if he stays down in Perth with her.
"We have had lots of near misses with Charlotte where things have looked pretty grim, so it seems to comfort my other three children when they can see her for themselves, otherwise they can get very anxious about whether she is OK.
"Even if she is in ICU (intensive care unit) and has tubes everywhere and it looks really grim, it's as though just by being there, being able to touch her and say 'Charlotte we're here now, we are thinking of you and hope you get better', it provides them with some comfort, they can see her, so far she is still here and the nurses and doctors are doing the best they can.
"I can say all of those things but I think that when they are in Northam and things have been bad, it has been quite a big source of stress for them, so it is important that they feel as though they are part of the journey and can support her."
With the regular travel to Perth for appointments or producres, Northam has become somewhat of an oasis for the Pattersons.
"I did consider moving closer to Perth earlier on when Charlotte was quite unstable and having more frequent procedures, but the thought of moving into the city never appealed," Ms Patterson said.
"It would have only been if the travel got to the point that we physically couldn't handle it anymore.
"The Northam community has been so supportive of Charlotte and our family, it's where the children have settled and have their friends at school.
"It's where our family is established so the thought of moving to a place where we don't know anyone or have that support network, especially at a time like that when I've got a child that is so unwell and I am just flat out trying to manage day-to-day life, much less moving, so it was much easier to stay where we were.
"Also, I have found that personally once we are discharged, it's always a refreshing thought that we are going to hit the road and once we pass that 110km/h sign, we know we are almost home.
"So it's like Perth is where we race around, have appointments and are busy, whereas home is the sanctuary where she's more stable and we are able to have a more normal life."
