Johnson Family - Lower Hutt
The Johnsons are a busy, close-knit family of four - soon to be five. Mum Corrin and dad Drew live in Waterloo, near Lower Hutt, with their two boys, Arlo (affectionately called Moose), who turns three in January, and 13-month-old Bear. Life in their home is full of energy: Moose loves swimming and gymnastics, Bear can’t get enough of the water and loves to dance, and the whole family spends a lot of time at the pool or hosting friends and family. Recently, Moose has become obsessed with an arcade game where you shoot dinosaurs with water; “we spend so much time there now it practically feels like his second home,” Corrin laughs.
Their world changed at Corrin’s 20-week anatomy scan during her pregnancy with Bear. That was the moment they learned their baby had a serious heart condition. “We were absolutely heartbroken,” Corrin remembers. “To hear that he might not make it….nothing prepares you for that as a parent.”
What followed was long, emotional, and incredibly hard. Bear spent 150 days in hospital - 100 of those in PICU and 50 on the heart ward. “There were too many moments where we nearly lost him,” Corrin says, “living day to day like that is something I wouldn’t wish upon anyone.” Despite the fear and uncertainty, the Johnsons found comfort in the community of families going through similar journeys, “we made friends for life in that hospital. They were our people during the darkest moments.” 
For six months, Ronald McDonald House became home. Because Bear’s treatment kept them in Auckland for so long, Corrin and Drew had to make the heartbreaking decision to sell their house - they simply couldn’t keep up with the mortgage. “Staying at Ronald McDonald House meant everything to us,” Corrin says, “we didn’t have to use our house deposit on accommodation. Without the House, we would have lost everything financially.”
She’s clear about how different their lives would have looked without RMHC: “If Ronald McDonald House didn’t exist, we would have blown through all our savings. Drew wouldn’t have been able to stay with us - he would’ve had to keep working. I can’t imagine doing that journey without him.”
Christmas at the House stands out as an unexpectedly warm memory. “It was actually lovely,” Corrin says. “We had pancake mix and treats delivered to our door, and the boys got presents that brought them so much joy. In the middle of everything we were going through, those moments of normal childhood magic meant the world.”
Today, Bear is home, determined, spirited, and full of life. He fills their days with dancing and splashing, surrounded by the family who fought so hard to keep him safe. The Johnsons remain deeply grateful to RMHC New Zealand. As Corrin puts it, “Ronald McDonald House didn’t just give us somewhere to stay - it kept our family together when we needed each other the most.”
