Mary's Story

"When life became overwhelming, I thought who can I call? Who will listen? I picked up the phone to Together for Short Lives."

Mum Donna has seven children including Mary who, at five months old, was diagnosed with a build-up of fluid on her brain, and then later with a rare brain disorder called Macrocephaly Capillary Malformation. Mary will have minor seizures daily, but approximately every eight weeks, a large seizure will require rescue medication and her mum must call an ambulance. “It is terrifying when it happens,” says Donna, “sometimes we have warning that it is coming and sometimes it just comes from nowhere. I worry every day about Mary. There is always the thought ‘will her next seizure be today?’”

With Morrisons’ support, Together for Short Lives will be there for many more families like Mary's, caring for a seriously ill child like Mary in need of support.

There are thousands of families in need that Together for Short Lives haven’t been able to reach until now. Through this partnership, they'll develop new ways to connect with more families across communities, increasing access to children’s hospices and other vital children’s palliative care services for anyone who needs it.