On November 18th 2021, Grace was taken to A&E in Ipswich, having not been her normal, happy self at the wonderful EBYE Nursery.

In the early hours of 19th November, we were rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and discovered a brain tumour, which was subsequently diagnosed as an Embryonal Tumour with Multilayered Rosettes (ETMR), a rare, aggressive and almost always terminal cancer.

Grace never came home. We spent the next 3 months on Ward C2 in Addenbrookes undergoing “Head Start“ chemotherapy and multiple brain surgeries, while specialists from all over the country put together plans for additional surgery and future treatment. Unfortunately, despite all of the amazing people involved, we had to stop treatment on 3rd February 2022 as Grace had too many complications, and we were advised she had 2-6 weeks left with us.

And so, we entered a stage of palliative care, being transferred to The Tree House Hospice in Ipswich, run by the amazing charity East Anglia's Children's Hospice (EACH). And there Cerys, Grace and I stayed, with Grace bravely fighting on, determined to stay with us for as long as possible. It was also lovely that family and friends could visit Grace at Tree House and see her still enjoying life, despite everything that was happening to her.

Grace sadly passed away in the arms of myself and Cerys on 4th May, “Star Wars” day. Which was very apt, as Grace was an amazing and unique little girl with such a strong and beautiful force, who made everyone smile.

And so we are fundraising for all the wonderful charities and people who have helped us over this incredibly difficult period.

But also for future parents and children who go through a similarly painful experience, in the hope it can be made a little more bearable.The money raised will be split between:

Addenbrookes Ward C2 (Paediatric Oncology): to enable the Playteam to carry on their vital work to brighten the days of children living in hospital, and to provide Christmas presents for families who, like us, are in hospital over Christmas. Waking up to find a sack at the end of our bed on Christmas morning was such an emotional experience and brought some joy to an otherwise devastating time.

The Sick Children's Trust: A great charity that provides free-of-charge accommodation to families whose children are admitted to Intensive Care.

East Anglia's Children's Hospice (EACH): An amazing charity and group of people, who made the last months of Grace’s time with us so special. From providing fully-equipped sensory and music rooms, specialist grief counselling, round-the-clock nursing care, to cooking for us daily and washing our clothes while we stayed with Grace; it’s hard to understand what charities like EACH provide until you need to use their services. The Tree House was particularly special as it allowed Cerys, Grace and I to spend the last months of her life together as a family, something that was not possible in Addenbrooke's due to their COVID protocols.

Thank you to everyone who helped us during this difficult time.

"When the glorious sun has set, and the grass with dew is wet, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, Twinkle, all the night"