On Easter Monday 2026, Emily was sent to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for further tests after feeling tired and developing swollen glands.
Her family expected to stay overnight.
Instead, test results showed that Emily had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and treatment needed to begin immediately.
“We thought we would just be there for one night,” says Emily’s mum. “Then we were told Emily had leukaemia and would need to stay in hospital for around five weeks.”
Living more than two hours from Manchester, the family suddenly faced the challenge of being far from home while supporting Emily through treatment.
“We didn’t really know how we were going to cope. It was too far for one of us to travel home every day and it was going to be very expensive if we had to stay in a hotel.”
One of the biggest concerns for Jill and her husband Glen, was who was going to look after Emily’s brother, Joseph, who was 12 at the time. When they initially thought they would be away for just one night, Glen’s parents had stepped in, but this wasn’t a long-term solution.
“When we found out it was going to be five weeks, our main concern was how we could make sure he was looked after.”
A nurse called Chloe told the family she had applied for a room at Ronald McDonald House Manchester for them.
“We didn’t really know what that meant or whether we’d get one.”
The first night, Glen stayed in a hotel while Jill stayed on the ward. The following day, they were told they had a room at Ronald McDonald House Manchester for the duration of Emily’s stay.
“It was such a massive relief. It meant both of us could stay close to Emily and that Joseph could also come and stay when he was able to.”
For Emily’s mum, walking into the House brought an immediate sense of relief.
“It had everything we needed and meant we didn’t have to worry about anything except Emily and her treatment.”
Jill and Glen say the House enabled both parents to remain by Emily’s side throughout her treatment while also supporting one another.
“We don’t think either of us would have been able to do it on our own. We needed each other for support, as well as supporting Emily through her initial treatment, which was extremely tough on her body.”
Being able to step away from the ward also made a difference.
“One thing that really stands out was being able to get away from the ward and have a good night’s sleep without machines beeping through the night. The House also meant that Joseph was able to come and stay at weekends and visit his sister and also spend time with us away from the ward.”
The family stayed at Ronald McDonald House Manchester twice, first for around 30 nights and later for a further week.
Looking back, Emily’s mum believes having both parents nearby helped Emily through her treatment.
“Without a doubt, having both of us by Emily’s side helped keep her positive and allowed us to make sure we were well rested and able to deal with things better.”
After leaving the House, Emily wanted to find a way to say thank you.
While in hospital, she had started making bracelets and decided to sell them to raise money for Ronald McDonald House UK.
What began as a small gesture soon grew into something much bigger.
Friends and family helped sell bracelets, local clubs got involved, people donated beads and members of the community organised fundraising activities to support Emily’s efforts. Before long, demand became so high that Emily enlisted her friends to help.
Today, Emily has raised more than £10,000 for Ronald McDonald House UK and made well over 1,000 bracelets.
“What started off as something little became something much bigger than we ever imagined,” says her mum.
In recognition of her remarkable fundraising efforts, a room at Ronald McDonald House Manchester will be named after Emily, creating a lasting legacy that will help support families staying close to their children in hospital for years to come.
“It is a really worthwhile cause that helps so many families,” says Emily’s mum. “We honestly don’t know what we would have done without it.”
