The Metz Family - Auckland
When the Metz family – mum Michelle, dad Ben, 13-year-old Maika, and Emlen (11) moved from New York City to Gisborne in 2021, they were excited for a slower pace of life. Earlier this year, they settled on Auckland’s North Shore, spending their weekends exploring the Waitakere Ranges, cooking together, playing music and travelling whenever they could squeeze in an adventure.
Music and sport filled their home. Maika sings in a band, both kids play guitar, and Emlen is a devoted basketball fan. Ben is a writer and guitar-player, and Michelle loves running and discovering new recipes to try out on their family.
But in late 2025, life changed in an instant.
One night, Emlen spiked a dangerously high fever – over 40.7 degrees – and began vomiting. Thinking it was appendicitis, the family rushed him to hospital. He became confused and later had a seizure.
Michelle, who is a doctor herself, remembers the shock vividly. “We thought we had a good handle on what illnesses our kids might face. Never did we imagine our 11-year-old would be in a medically induced coma in ICU. It didn’t feel real. We were overwhelmed and terrified.”
Doctors quickly discovered it wasn’t appendicitis at all, but a severe and rapidly progressing case of meningoencephalitis – the inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain. Emlen was placed into a coma, intubated, and watched around the clock by critical care specialists.
Over the following weeks, neurology, endocrinology, metabolic teams, cardiology, paediatric surgery, infectious disease and gastroenterology all worked to understand why he had become so sick, so quickly. “He was one of the most complicated cases they’d seen in years,” explains Michelle.
There were EEGs, CTs, MRIs – test after test to determine the extent of brain activity and whether there would be long-term effects. Slowly, Emlen fought his way back. “It took a while for him to walk and talk again,” Michelle says, “but he woke from the coma with his humour intact and a determination that amazed everyone.”
While Emlen fought for his life, RMHC NZ became the family’s lifeline. “The staff were incredible,” Michelle says, “they greeted us with warmth, compassion and genuine care. The meals, the lounge, the simple kindness – even now we get teary thinking about it.”
"The thought of having to leave the hospital each night, or trying to commute back and forth, is unimaginable for the family. “When your child is that sick, you need to be at their bedside 24/7. Ronald McDonald House made that possible. Without it, we would have been compromising our own health too.”
Emlen is now in inpatient rehab, and the family hopes to return to RMHC soon; not as guests, but to bring gifts and kindness to others staying there. “We are forever grateful,” Michelle says. “We hope to support RMHC through fundraising and volunteering for the rest of our lives.”