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Nicarla’s Story: Finding Home, Twice

Two sons, two premature births, ten years apart at the House

Ten years ago, Nicarla became a mum for the first time under circumstances no parent expects. She went into premature labour, far from home, scared and unsure what the future would hold. That’s when Ronald McDonald House Canberra opened its doors for the first time- and its heart, to her.

“The House had only just opened,” she remembers. “I was a first-time mum, my baby was in hospital, and it was Christmas. The staff and volunteers made it feel like home — they cooked, they cleaned, they cared. They made sure we didn’t feel alone.”

For nearly seven weeks, the House became her safe place a home filled with warmth, kindness, and understanding during one of the hardest moments of her life.

A decade later, life brought Nicarla back through those same red doors. In an unexpected twist, she found herself in premature labour once again at exactly the same number of weeks, and in the very same room she’d stayed in ten years earlier.

Mother Nicarla and baby son in NICU

“I had no idea I was even pregnant until I fainted and ended up in hospital. Days later, Lincoln arrived early. It was all such a shock, but the moment I stepped into the House, I felt that same comfort and calm. I knew I was in the right place.”

This time, with her older son visiting on weekends and volunteers providing home-cooked meals, Nicarla found both familiarity and healing.

“I honestly couldn’t have coped without Ronald McDonald House. They gave me a place to rest, to cry, to breathe,and to focus on my baby. The meals, the laundry, the kindness… it all sounds small, but it’s everything when your world has turned upside down.”

Today, Nicarla looks back with gratitude.

“When people donate to this charity, they’re not just helping families stay close. They’re giving parents like me the strength to keep going. The House has been my lifeline — twice.”

WATCH: Nicarla shares the impact the Ronald McDonald House Canberra had during & after the premature birth of her babies, 10 years apart.