Sears Family - Papamoa Beach
Adam and Candice have built a warm, adventure-filled life in Papamoa with their two young boys, Maceo (6) and Raife (5), and their much-loved Labrador, Maui. Their days are usually spent at the beach, splashing in the waves or biking through the Redwoods. Candice is a keen runner who competes in races, while Adam finds his peace surfing in the Papamoa swell. Life was simple, busy, and full of sunshine - until everything changed overnight.
One evening, Maceo suddenly began vomiting and became critically unwell. He was rushed to A&E in Tauranga Hospital, where his condition deteriorated rapidly. “We were just shocked at how quickly it all happened,” Adam remembers. “But in that moment, all we could think was that we had to be strong for him.” 
By the next day, Maceo was moved into intensive care. Arrangements were made to airlift him to Auckland, and to keep him safe during the flight, doctors placed him into a coma. Once he arrived at the PICU, the team immediately made an incision in his skull to drain fluid from his brain and relieve the dangerous pressure. He began IV antibiotics and a long, uncertain wait began.
Over the next few days, Maceo was gently woken - but his parents had no idea who they would get back. When he finally opened his eyes, he was blind in one eye, deaf in one ear, and unable to walk.
“It was terrifying,” Adam says. “But every day, the team helped him take tiny steps. We clung to every bit of progress.”
Slowly, Maceo’s body fought its way back. After a month in Auckland and Tauranga Hospital combined, he was discharged; steadily improving, steadily returning to the happy boy they knew. His sight and hearing returned, and soon he was running again, laughing with Raife, and playing with friends. “We’re very lucky,” Adam says quietly. “We don’t take that for granted.”
During those long, frightening weeks, Ronald McDonald House became the family’s anchor. With Raife being non-verbal and sensitive to changes in routine, staying together was essential - but without RMHC NZ, it wouldn’t have been possible.
“The House meant we could all be together,” Adam explains. “Raife needed us just as much as Maceo did. RMHC made that possible.”
Their stay also happened to fall over Christmas; a time they expected to feel overwhelming and heavy. Instead, it became unexpectedly magical. The House was warm with decorations, lights, and festive cheer. Volunteers prepared a Christmas meal, Santa visited, and Raife even received gifts.
“It gave us a bit of normality at a time when nothing was normal,” Adam says. “Raife got to have an actual Christmas. It meant the world.”
But the heart of their experience was the people.
“The staff and volunteers - honestly, they were incredible,” Adam recalls. “When we first contacted them, they told Candice not to worry, that they’d take care of everything. And they really did. They let Raife run around without worry, they were always there for a chat, and they just made us feel at home.”
Looking back, the family can’t imagine how they would have coped without Ronald McDonald House. “It was a month over the holidays,” Adam says. “We would’ve had to travel back and forth, adding so much stress. We were already exhausted. RMHC kept us together.”
They’re grateful not just for the accommodation, but for the connection they found there. “We met other families who were going through the same nightmare,” Adam shares. “We cried together, supported each other. RMHC gave us a sanctuary.”
To the supporters who make this possible Adam offers heartfelt thanks.
“Thank you for supporting this amazing group of people,” he says. “Ronald McDonald House gave us, and continues to give hundreds of families, a roof, support, and the space to focus on what matters most - your sick little person. We are eternally grateful.”