Helper gives a toss

By Bridget Brady
WARREN Magdziarz volunteers his time each month at Ronald McDonald House, and says it is the least he could do for a service that helped his family so much.
The Cranbourne father of four stays over one night a month at the Monash Ronald McDonald House, offering support and a shoulder for someone to lean on.
He started volunteering there about five years ago after family stayed at Ronald McDonald House for six months while his son Oscar received treatment after he was born premature.
“It’s made me a more rounded person. I don’t take things for granted any more. There is nothing quite like seeing a sick kid. It touches you,” he said.
Mr Magdziarz said words could not describe the difficult time his family went through when Oscar was born, weighing about 660 grams.
“He was a really tiny tot.”
“I don’t think the mums in there could get through their trouble without having that house. I know my wife couldn’t.”
The volunteer role at Ronald McDonald House was a good leveller if he had a bad day at work, Mr Magdziarz said.
“If I have a bad day then you go in there and see all these young kids in there with terminal illness, you go back thinking it’s not so bad.”
The house chose Mr Magdziarz to toss the coin at the Collingwood vs North Melbourne game at the MCG on the weekend, as McDonald’s is a sponsor of the Collingwood Football Club.
He was able to take his wife and two of his children to the game and was able to see inside the rooms as the players warmed up.
“It was wonderful.”
However Mr Magdziarz had to do a take two with the toss, as the coin got stuck upright in the mud the first time round.