De Castro Family - Pokeno, Waikato
Maria and Noel De Castro live in Pokeno in rural Waikato with their two children: 15-year-old Cielo Nicole and nine-year-old Vincent Pio. They emigrated to New Zealand from the Phillipines and love exploring their adopted country, visiting sites like Mt. Ruapehu and the Hunua Falls. Late last year, their world was turned upside down when Cielo was diagnosed with leukaemia.
It was September 2024 when Cielo started feeling unwell. “She was complaining of stomach aches and bloating,” Maria explains, “after three days we decided to see our local GP in Pokeno.” It was there that the GP requested bloodwork be done, with the results showing concerning signs. Cielo needed to travel to Auckland for further testing, and the family received the devastating news: Cielo had acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APML). APML is a rare subtype of leukaemia that is characterised by an overabundance of immature white blood cells, but some good news: it’s the most curable form of leukaemia. Still, the news came as an awful shock. “Hearing that your child has cancer is one of the most devastating things you can be told,” Maria says, “we knew we had to put our own feelings to the side to be strong for Cielo. We just tried to assure her that we would do everything in our power to cure her.” 
Cielo started her treatment plan almost immediately, with the family travelling to Auckland where she was admitted to the national children’s hospital. Treatment consists of a series of chemotherapy along with an arsenic trioxide regime. As they were almost an hour away from home and Cielo required daily treatment, they were referred to Ronald McDonald House, a short walk away from the ward.
“Staying at Grafton Mews House has been a blessing for us,” Maria says, “without it, we’d have to travel long distances to and from Auckland every day, with a very sick child.” The family have stayed for over 150 nights so far with more to come, and say they feel at home there – especially having family overseas. “The staff and other families became our village, especially those families that were foreign. We have become friends with many of them – sharing our problems and emotions, leaning on each other when the days became really tough.”
One of the family’s favourite aspects of the House is the family dinner night, with Maria saying, “as a family having dinner cooked for you after a long day at the hospital is such a lovely touch. All of our needs are thought of by the staff at Ronald McDonald House and when you’re facing a child that has cancer, it means the world.” So far the family have stayed at Grafton Mews for over eight months, which Maria estimates would have cost the family tens of thousands in hotel and travel costs – if they wanted to stay together.
But it’s not just the financial burden lifted that Maria has been grateful for. Her younger son Vincent hasn’t missed out on his schooling during their time in Auckland, as he has enjoyed the on-site school at the Domain House. Maria has also been blown away by the little touches, such as receiving a gift on Mother’s Day. “We feel extremely lucky that we have been able to stay with Ronald McDonald House, and for so long. They have truly helped us during some of our hardest moments, and we’d just like to say God bless you all – the staff and volunteers at Ronald McDonald House, and also the people who support this amazing charity.”