Sick children forget woes in a fast car

McLaren 650S Spider lifts spirits of Ronald McDonald House kids

McKayla Warder is waiting for a new heart — her own was irreparably damaged by a rare congenital defect. She survived experimental surgery before she was even born, and she’s been on a transplant list before. Though she has overcome incredible odds — her family was told she had less than a one per cent chance of surviving — the original wait-list calculations saw her removed when her odds of a favourable recovery dimmed. The fact she is back on the list buoys hope and buys time for McKayla and her family. McKayla is four years old.

Sometimes I drive to get away from problems, large and small, real and imagined. I met some children recently who don’t have that option, kids who taught me a lot about bravery and love.

The idea was pretty straightforward: I called the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto to see if any of the families staying there would be interested in taking a ride in a cool car.

The McLaren 650S Spider I’d borrowed for the visit is stunning. McLaren builds race cars, and while those with deep pockets (my press vehicle clocked in at $350,000) can have one in their driveway, it is first and foremost a race car. There is no rocket-ship dashboard, no dizzying array of complicated knobs and buttons and screens. It is beautiful and streamlined, inside and out. The focus is on the roar of an engine once heard, never forgotten, an engine that moves you to 100 km/h from a standstill in 2.9 seconds.

The forecast threatened rain, but it didn’t happen. I dropped the top and flung open those scissored doors, doors that make you smile a little every time you open them. Each time they arced skyward I had children gasping, loving the fun, in awe of the physics.

You’ve heard it before: when a child is facing catastrophic illness, so is their whole family. Ronald McDonald Houses around the world recognize this and create family-oriented living arrangements so families can stay together with their sick kids. Siblings attend class while parents can be close to the hospital, waiting for calls that often come with little or no warning. Ronald McDonald Houses are havens. There are 14 across Canada, including one in Edmonton.

Jasmine Warder, 7, is McKayla’s older sister. When all the time and attention and resources are directed at one child for so long, siblings play a complicated role. Living at the House, Jasmine and her brothers Zachary, 10, and Tristan, 2, and mom Rejeanne are far from Windsor and the family home. Dad Justin comes out on weekends after working on the Chrysler line all week. The family has been here for several months now, with little McKayla a block away in Mount Sinai Hospital.

“Last year was a perfect year; we had a whole year at home,” says Justin. Tristan has never known anything different, but for the older two, the tug of home is unmistakable.

Jasmine’s eyes widened when she saw the car. “This caris so pretty, ”she squeaked. She hopped in. As she kept up a non-stop stream of chatter, we came to a stop sign. She started giggling. “That boy is looking at me,” she whispered. She pointed to a young man who was indeed staring at the car.

She blushed a little at the boy who was looking at her. As we pulled back into the parking lot, she let out a highpitched yell. “Olivia! Hi!” and waved madly. She wanted all her friends to see her in the hot car. As she got out, she asked me if I thought Olivia had seen her. I told her I’m sure she had.

Off to the side, a young couple stood shyly, a baby stroller between them. Baby Mia is 4 months old. As I peered in, her Mom, Kayla, shyly showed me where her baby had open-heart surgery at 12 days old. Her tiny chest was the length of my finger, an angry scar running down half of it. Mia stared up at me; she was scheduled for more surgery in two days. Jordan and Kayla are from Newfoundland, the House their only support system in Toronto. Both parents took turns in the car, and then posed proudly for photos with tiny Mia.

“It seems crazy, riding like this, in this car; it lets you forget things just for a few minutes,” Mia’s dad Jordan told me.

“Not that I ever forget, but you know what I mean.” I did. I’d heard the same thing over and over from parents and older siblings. A car that takes your breath away can also take your cares away. It’s something I’d always known, but never before considered the power it can have. I asked Jordan if he followed McLaren in Formula One racing.

“Well, we have a TV, but it’s not hooked up to cable. You know, money,” he said quietly. Jordan and Kayla are about the same age as my kids.

A few minutes later, I told 10-year-old Zachary Warder to look in the side mirror.

“There’s a cop!” he said, laughing. He asked if I get arrested a lot driving this car. Back at the House, the story quickly morphed. Jasmine began telling people that the cops had been chasing her brother and me.

Please consider supporting the Ronald McDonald House in your community.

Special thanks to Ronald McDonald House Toronto for helping set up this great day, and to McLaren Toronto for lending us this truly spectacular car.