‘It was a lifesaver’: Essex parents share story ahead of McHappy Day

An Essex family is sharing their story ahead of McHappy Day, hoping it inspires others to support the Ronald McDonald House — the charity they say helped hold their family together during the scariest time of their lives.

Kelly Dunwoody and Todd Gee welcomed twin daughters in June of 2023. But shortly after birth, baby Olive was rushed to a hospital in London with a brain bleed.

Her sister Haisley remained in the NICU in Windsor.

“When Olive was taken, for a moment I thought, ‘I don’t know if the girls are ever going to see each other again,’” said Dunwoody. “And those are the kinds of thoughts I was having on the way to London. So, the last thing on my mind was, ‘Where am I going to sleep?’”

That’s when the Ronald McDonald House stepped in — offering the couple a room just steps away from Olive’s bedside.

“It’s not a service you want to use — it’s a service you end up being forced to use,” said Gee. “It’s an absolute lifesaver.”

The couple spent 49 nights at the London house.

They say the staff, volunteers, and support network there made it possible to stay present for their daughter and grounded through the uncertainty.

“We would not have come out of that situation the same family that we did if it wasn’t for the house,” said Dunwoody.

Now, nearly two years later, they’re doing what they can to give back.

“You see ads for Ronald McDonald House everywhere,” Gee said. “Maybe it’s kind of out of sight, out of mind … I don’t think I really donated too much to it before. But now we’re doing everything we can to give back.”

McHappy Day is Thursday, May 8.

A portion of every McDonald’s purchase will go toward Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children’s causes.