The benevolence of Ronald McDonald

SOME years ago, McDonald’s were thrown into damage-limitation mode when Morgan Spurlock’s Supersize Me showed the impact of heavy consumption of their products.
The film really did little more than confirm the obvious; that living solely on McDonald’s produce is bad for you but a new documentary from Ennis man Brian O’Connell shows a more benevolent side of the fast food giant.
They are behind the Ronald McDonald House on the grounds of Crumlin Hospital, which provides accommodation for parents whose children are receiving treatment for serious illnesses, such as cancer and leukeamia. For these families, the house offers support at what may be the most stressful time in their lives.
Brian’s documentary (which was co-produced by Sarah Blake) will air on Radio One on Saturday at 2pm and is entitled The House that Ronald Built.
He says he wanted to look at the altruistic side of a company, which has won infamy for the type of products they bring to the masses. “There is an inherent tension there and we address those issues with McDonald’s themselves and the staff in the hospital. As one hospital consultant said to me, if burgers have to be sold for parents to have a comfortable environment to stay in, then so be it.”
There is some accomodation provided in the hospital, but he says it isn’t exactly ideal. “The main block of accommodation that they have for parents in Crumlin hospital was built as accommodation for nurses in 1956. It was updated in 1988 and turned into accommodation for parents and it’s very basic. You have no en suites, maybe three or four bathrooms, a few showers and you could sometimes have 80 parents. I wouldn’t say it’s overcrowded but there are pressures on it and today, there’s a waiting list for parents to get into it. The staff are doing a major job but they’re under huge funding constraints. One of the parents in the documentary made the point that first of all, it’s a shock to find your child has a serious illness but it’s a further shock to arrive into very basic accommodation. He said that given the money that was in the country, surely some investment could have been put into it.”
The voice of seriously ill children is heard also and they talk about the things they miss from their everyday lives. “You don’t hear very much of kids talking about what having an illness is like, what it’s like to have a brain tumour, what it’s like to receive cancer treatment. They miss their brothers and sisters, they miss their school friends, their school holidays. There’s a school in Crumlin onsite where they teach all levels up until Leaving Cert. We spent a little bit of time in there as well and it was very humbling. You just have no idea of the conditions that they’re trying to deliver care under. I took a walk just now for a couple of wards and they weren’t built for the numbers that are using them now. It’s an eye-opener.”
The documentary was made following visits to the Ronald McDonald house and the hospital over several months. Many parents of very sick children were encountered and he says they try to support one another. “One thing I noticed in the house itself is that parents are a great support to each other. We heard a number of parents talking about their illness. It’s especially interesting to hear men talk about medical conditions and I think they were open with each other.”
Brian came to national prominence after the publication of his first non-fiction book Wasted, which was about his own battle with alcohol and the effect on the country at large. “It was more a personal book, something I had to do personally, file it away and then move on. I suppose it did raise my profile but I don’t know how it’s viewed really. It meant I could deal with a lot of things that would have been hanging around my head otherwise. It probably saved me a fortune on counselling,” he says.