Enosh Hartwig’s struggles helped by Ronald McDonald House Charities

When a rare brain condition struck little Enosh Hartwig, it turned his family’s world upside down, and the long and complex journey they have been on since then would have been made all the worse without the incredible support of a special organisation. Read their story.

A Gympie family will feature in a heartwarming television special this weekend to promote the story of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Narrated by The Block’s Shelley Craft, the program is devoted to the significant work of the Ronald McDonald House Charities in South East Queensland and North Australia, which encompasses regional Queensland and Northern Territory, and the stories of the families for who they cater.

Life for 16-year-old Enosh Hartwig is vastly different from a regular teenager‘s.

Thanks to a rare condition, auto-immune encephalitis of the brain, as well as dysautonomia (which impacts the nervous system), the Gympie teen is intellectually impaired and unable to regulate his body temperature.

This means he cannot swim, go outside in the sun or the cold, and is unable to stand for more than two minutes without blood pooling in his legs.

Enosh and his mum have to travel to Brisbane from Gympie two days every month for treatment. The help they have received from Ronald McDonald House Charities has been enormous.

Founded in 1974 in Philadelphia, USA, Ronald McDonald House Charities had the mission to provide a home away from home where families of children in hospital could get some rest away from the ward.

In 2021, there are 365 Ronald McDonald Houses in 43 countries, including four Houses in Queensland: South Brisbane, Herston, Townsville, and inside the Queensland Children’s Hospital, and Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Townsville University Hospital and the QCH.

Where the Heart Is: The Story of Ronald McDonald House Charities will shine a light on the services the charity supplies within its Houses, including communal living and dining areas, activity spaces and the Make-a-Meal program.

It will also highlight how the charity supports the ongoing needs of sick children once they have left hospital, including the Ronald McDonald Learning Program, which assists school-aged children with serious illnesses and injuries to catch up on missed education following treatment and recovery, and the Charlie Bell Scholarship, awarding one-off grants to young people affected by serious illness or injury.

“It is our absolute honour to provide care and accommodation to families who are suffering through their darkest days. We support these families through their journey, with the wonderful fundraising efforts from our community that are vital in keeping the services running,” Ronald McDonald House Charities South East Queensland CEO Dr John Gilmour said.

“We meet volunteers and struggling families who are on their journey with Ronald McDonald House Charities, including the Hartwig, Green and Willis families.

“Enosh Hartwig’s story is long and complex. It has seen him travel from Gympie with his mother, Sonia, two days a month for the last five years to be treated for his auto-immune disease which caused encephalitis and encephalopathy.

“Sonia is eternally grateful to Ronald McDonald House Charities and has estimated that without their help she would have spent $72,000 on accommodation.

Ronald McDonald House Charities is an independent charity that operates with the support of volunteers, communities, corporate partners, and their Founding Mission Partner, McDonald’s.

The program will air in the lead-up to McHappy Day which takes place on Saturday, November 13, where McDonald‘s helps raise funds for this cause.

WHERE THE HEART IS: THE STORY OF THE RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES THIS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, AT 4PM ON CHANNEL 9.