My name is Clare McCabe and I am so happy to be the mother of a very special boy called Harvey who unfortunately passed away on 16/01/2014.

Harvey was born a healthy baby however at the age of 2, I noticed a few things had changed with Harvey so I took him to the doctor and after many blood tests, appointments and admissions to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry, I received the devastating news during the month of September that my beautiful baby boy had a life limiting condition called MLD.

MLD is a condition that involves muscle wasting and weakness, developmental delays, progressive loss of vision leading to blindness, impaired swallowing and dementia. Most children diagnosed with this condition have a life expectancy of up to 5 years old however Harvey sadly died 4 months after I received the devastating news. My life has been completely changed and through the love and support of my family and the local community, I am determined to keep Harvey's memory alive. As a way of remembering Harvey and to help children who require a specialised environment to experience a sense of happiness and enjoyment whilst in hospital , our campaign called ThumbsUpForHarvey is actively fundraising to build a new sensory room in Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry. Presently, we are half way to our target through the support and generousity of the local community, however in order to reach our initial goal, we require your help.

The sensory room will be an allocated room in Daisy Hill for children and their families to use as a means of time out and making the most of time in hospital. The room will be uniquely designed to suit children of all abilities and specialised equipment will be provided. In order to make this sensory room as useful and helpful as possible, funding is required to buy the best possible equipment. Through giving children a sense of joy and happiness during their time in hospital, Harvey's memory will be alive.