Jethro is currently cancer-free and actually enjoys visiting his doctor these days. Photo / Supplied
Immediately after Whanganui boy Jethro Chiet was born he was on a plane to the neonatal intensive care unit at Wellington Hospital.
He was born with Down Syndrome and a duodenal atresia - a knot in his intestine - and the next day he experienced his first surgery.
But after years of battling multiple health issues the now 6-year-old is thriving and his family are encouraging people to support Ronald McDonald House, which they believed helped save Theo's life.
Father Phil Chiet said while the surgery was successful, Jethro spent the next four or five weeks in a bubble.
"We had to put our hands through these gloves into the bubble to let him know we were there," Chiet said.
"It was a pretty rough time.
"He was strung up like a marionette, with about 10 cords coming from him."
Jethro recovered well though, and he was discharged shortly before Christmas.
"For the next year we were taking him to the hospital to get weekly blood tests, just to keep an eye on him," Phil said.
"He started to realise when we were going to go there, and he would scream and cry. We stood by his side while he was being poked and prodded and hurt by medical professionals.
"It was hard convincing him that they weren't the baddies."
After Jethro turned 1 the family went away for a camping trip, Phil said, and upon their return they got a call from the hospital.
"The blood test we had done before we went away was so concerning that they basically said 'you need to get on a plane to Auckland and go to Starship'.
Phil, a teacher at Whanganui High School, stayed with his other son Micah, while Jethro and mother Jo were quickly on a plane north.
"He had to get bone marrow biopsy to check for cancerous cells, but by the time he got up there he had developed a cold.
"It was a week before he could get the biopsy done."
It was revealed that Jethro had developed leukemia.
"Intuitively, we knew it was going to be a bad diagnosis," Phil said.
"I was allowed to take six months off work and me and Micah moved up to Auckland and into Ronald McDonald House.
"From there, my wife and I did rotating shifts next to Theo's bedside."
While the whole ordeal had been gruelling, Phil said chemotherapy had hit Jethro especially hard.
"The doctors can heal the body, but i think having family there too helps a child find the will to carry on.
"After the first few rounds of chemo they managed to get 90 per cent of the cancer, but they had to keep going with it.
"Even if one little cancer cell is still there it can come back, full blown."
In 2020, Ronald McDonald House provided accommodation and practical support for nearly 400 patients from Whanganui and Manawatu, who stayed for 3943 nights.
In total, the Chiet family was at Ronald McDonald House for nine months, Phil said.
"There was a really interesting mix of people up in that cancer ward, because cancer doesn't discriminate.
"It doesn't care what colour your skin is, what religion you are, what gender you are, or if you're rich or poor.
"There was a real cross-section of society there, and the only thing we've got in common is the fact that our kids or grandkids are sick."
Chiet said he "sincerely believed" Ronald McDonald House helped save Jethro's life.
"It's a place where families can connect and work through things together. It also nurtures and protects the siblings as well, because Micah was with us through it all," he said.
"I never used to go to McDonald's, but I'm quite happy to pop in there now. I'm quite happy to pay my taxes too, because I have seen how well it's being spent."
The demand for Ronald McDonald House was continuing to grow, Chiet said, so much so that hotels and apartment buildings were being used to house families.
"In other countries people are forced to sell their homes to pay for their children's medical bills.
"We are lucky to have a great health system here in New Zealand, and charitable trusts as well."
Chiet said despite everything his son had been through, Jethro remained a "bright, bouncy, vital young boy".
He is currently totally cancer-free.
"There's always that little worry, but there's no point letting that be your focus. You have to treasure every moment," Phil said.
"He actually loves going to see his doctor at the hospital now, and that's thanks to all the wonderful medical professionals he's met through his life.
"Jethro is full of joy, and an absolute delight.
"The world is a better place with him in it."
In June, Ronald McDonald House is asking people to fund a night to help to keep families with a child in hospital together.
• For more information on Ronald McDonald House, go to https://rmhc.org.nz/