When Jillian was nine years old, her younger sister Sarah was diagnosed with a brain tumor. For the next four years, their family lived in the shadow of hospitals and treatments. Home became Ronald McDonald House Toronto, just steps away from SickKids. 

For Jillian, that address didn’t just mean a bed to sleep in — it meant a desk in a classroom. 

“I remember walking into Ronald McDonald House Toronto School and, for the first time in a long time, feeling like an ordinary kid again,” Jillian recalls. “I had homework. I had friends. I had a place to go every day that felt normal, even when everything else didn’t.” 

At a time when so much of the family’s energy was devoted to Sarah’s care, the House gave Jillian something that was entirely hers: continuity, community, and a sense of belonging. 

“It was a constant in my life,” she says. “And I got to go to school with my sister, which wouldn’t have happened if we were back home. We got to do talent shows, puppet shows, group projects… I even choreographed a dance for our class.” 

More Than a Classroom 

Ronald McDonald House Toronto School is the only program of its kind in Canada. Recognized by the Ministry of Education and staffed by certified teachers, the school offers a lifeline to patients and siblings whose education would otherwise be disrupted by medical crises. Students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 are welcomed into a warm, adaptable learning environment where lessons fit around treatment schedules and the emotional realities of illness. 

For patients, it means returning to their home classrooms without the added burden of catching up. For siblings, it means their learning continues uninterrupted, even while their family is far from home. For all children, it means structure, friendships, and the chance to feel seen in a moment when so much attention is on hospital care. 

Last year alone, 97 students were supported across three unique programs — from preschool to one-on-one tutoring — with participation in the youngest group growing by more than 140%. Behind those numbers are children like Jillian, who found safety and selfhood in a classroom when everything else felt uncertain. 

A Sister Remembered 

Some of Jillian’s brightest memories are from those school days shared with Sarah. 

“I remember meeting another student whose younger sister also had cancer. Right away, I felt understood. I wasn’t alone,” Jillian says. 

Those connections mattered deeply — because, heartbreakingly, Sarah passed away on March 1, 2011, just three months before her ninth birthday. 

The time the sisters spent learning and laughing together at Ronald McDonald House Toronto is now among Jillian’s most cherished memories. 

Carrying It Forward 

Now 27, Jillian still thinks often about her time at the House — and about the donors, volunteers, and teachers who made it possible. 

“To anyone considering volunteering or donating to Ronald McDonald House Toronto: Please do it,” she says. “You’ll never know how much you mean to kids like me. Your smile, your time, your support — it makes the House what it is. A home.” 

Because of supporters, children like Jillian and Sarah are not defined solely by illness. They are given a classroom, a community, and a sense of hope — steady ground to stand on when everything else is shifting. 

You can give more children like Jillian and Sarah the chance to keep learning, laughing, and belonging during the hardest times of their lives. Join us today.