FEATURE
Today, Sienna is healthy and happy, which the family are so grateful for.
Melissa was so grateful for Ronald McDonald House that she wanted to give back, spending time at Flemington on Oaks Day selling Pin & Win pins. Although she didn’t don a dress and hat for the occasion – “I was in a Ronald McDonald House T-shirt!” she laughed – she did allow herself a few moments of self-care. “For those few hours, my mind wasn’t consumed by the alarms of NICU,” Melissa said. “I wasn’t thinking about blood results, monitors, breathing, feeds or what the next phone call might bring. I was simply part of something bigger.” Melissa also had the chance to hold the Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy and meet Robbie Dolan, winner of the 2024 race, whose own story gave her the hope she needed. “Learning that Robbie had experienced his own journey of having a daughter born at just 25 weeks, and hearing that she was healthy and doing so well, filled me with a sense of hope that I desperately needed,” Melissa said. “It gave me a small sense of reassurance and a reminder that there could be hope beyond those hospital walls.”
The Victoria Racing Club has supported Ronald McDonald House Victoria & Tasmania through Pin & Win, with the charity as the VRC’s partner for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. The initiative has raised more than $9 million for charities since it began in 1995. In 2025, Pin & Win aimed to raise enough to fund 4,000 nights of accommodation for families staying near their seriously ill children. The 2024 campaign raised $687,000 for Ronald McDonald House, funding more than 4,125 nights of accommodation. For Melissa and Nick, the importance of that support is something they know firsthand. “It’s not just a house,” Melissa said. “It is a place that holds families together when they need it most.” For 122 days, Ronald McDonald House was part of their family’s life – a place to rest, reconnect, and stay close to Sienna. Sienna is thriving now. And Melissa and Nick hope that in telling their story, they can help others understand just how much Ronald McDonald House meant to their family – and how much it can mean to the next one.
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