Jackson's recovery journey

19 Jul 2022

Jackson is 3 and comes from a small country town close to Dubbo.

Like a typical 3-year-old, he is super active. He loves building castles in the sandpit, swimming and playing soccer. He’s fascinated by dinosaurs and a massive Parramatta Eels supporter.

And like many kids, he ingested something he shouldn’t have: around a dozen magnets.

At first, the doctors back in Dubbo didn’t think much of it: in most cases, the objects injected are expelled from the body within a couple of days. They gave Jackson some laxatives and waited.

But when he started having cramps and throwing up, they sent the family straight to the Sydney Children’s Hospital, where he had to have abdominal surgeries to remove all the magnets from the stomach.

Jackson came to the hospital with dad Durgesh and mum Stacey-Ann. The parents were taking turns between staying at the Hospital and the House, so that Jackson always had one parent with him at the hospital.

“Jackson was so brave coming from Dubbo to the first surgery. He didn’t whinge or cry.

But before the second operation he was very sick, and wasn’t moving. So that’s how the doctors knew that it wasn’t going the way it should have been after the first surgery”.

The family first stayed in a Ronald McDonald House in Orange for a week, when Jackson was born premature.

When they were told about having to transfer Jackson from Dubbo to the Sydney Children’s Hospital, they asked the support worker if there was an opportunity to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Randwick.

They find the House to be extremely comforting.

“The House is so convenient and it took a massive weight off our shoulders.

Having a playroom, seeing Jackson play and being happy, it’s so important to us.

There’s a quite different atmosphere compared to the hospital. In the hospital, the doctors come for check-ups every hour, so then you get awakened, too.

At the House, you can have a good night's sleep, a proper shower, a meal and somewhere to sit, relax and recharge. Staff members made us feel welcome, also with gestures like offering to pack some food to bring to the hospital.

It was good that the Ronald McDonald House staff were also thinking about the other parent staying with the sick ones in the hospital, who don’t have to worry about meals.

Staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Randwick has been like a home away from home, and it’s taken a big weight off our shoulders having somewhere to stay like this.

We’re very grateful to all the supporters for helping out and being able to supply something like this, and the sponsors, it’s made our life so much easier.”

Jackson's story is one of our many stories from the Ronald McDonald House in Randwick.

You can support more families like Jackson's by making a donation. 

I'd like to support other families