‘We’ll always have special memories of our princess, Gillian’
For two sisters with cystic fibrosis, living one day in a fairytale was a dream come true...
IT was the most magical day of my life,’ says Lauren, recalling the joy she felt when she and her younger sister Gillian had their dream to become princesses granted by Make-A-Wish Ireland in 2007.
Lauren is now 25, but she has vivid memories of being whisked away by limousine from her Kildare home to Dublin. She was 11 and Gillian was nine and they were thrilled to be embarking on their wish experience.
‘It was the best day we’ve ever had as a family,’ says Lauren.
The memories that occasion created are particularly special to the family, as Gillian died in 2009, aged 10, from cystic fibrosis. Lauren also has the condition that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system.
She remembers her younger sister being a ‘messer’ with whom she had lots of fun. ‘We were always together,’ she says. ‘We couldn’t share a room because of the medication, but we would sneak in together for a sleepover. Gillian and I never talked about having CF as it was normal for us. Yes, there was the oxygen machine and medicine, but we had each other.’
A defective gene and its protein product cause the
‘We had CF, but we had each other’
bodies of those with CF to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. It also obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
Gillian’s condition began deteriorating when she was just four years old, and she was most comfortable at home where oxygen and feeding tubes became part of daily life.
The outlook was more positive for Lauren as she responded well to treatment and managed to live quite a normal life.
She and Gillian both loved princesses and enjoyed recording themselves using camcorders. In 2007, when the girls were 11 and nine, respectively, their aunt wrote to Make-A-Wish to ask if they could be granted a wish. They met with volunteer wish-granter, Ailbhe Goff, and it was agreed that the charity could fulfil the girls’ desire to be princesses.
‘We were so excited,’ says Lauren. ‘The princess dresses arrived, and they were the most amazing dresses I had ever seen in my life.’
When the day arrived for the wish to take place, the atmosphere in the house in Athy was electric. The girls dressed up in their white princess dresses and tiaras, and their grandparents, neighbours and friends were all present when a limousine pulled up outside. It took the whole family off to Dublin, including the girls’ brother Aaron, who was then aged five, and their parents Elaine and Joe.
‘Gillian and I felt like this was the biggest and most exciting day of our lives,’ Lauren recalls. ‘Everyone wanted to take photos with us, and we kept saying to each other that we were like celebrities.’
The girls had their hair done and were brought shopping, and then they were brought by limousine to the GPO. A horse and Georgian carriage was waiting, which, to the enchanted young girls, was like something from a Disney film.
The carriage brought the family to The Westbury hotel, where they sat in front of the fireplace and had afternoon tea, while a pianist played the piano. ‘I didn’t even know what a cucumber sandwich was,’ laughs Lauren. ‘But it was so magical.’ The experience continued with the family being whisked by limousine to Clontarf Castle where they stayed in the King Suite, complete with a fourposter bed. Lauren and Gillian were gifted a Cinderella basket filled with toys, while Aaron received Power Rangers. ‘Make-A-Wish was so good to include the whole family, and they gave us a day that wasn’t about the girls’ illness,’ says Elaine. ‘We could get dolled up that day and head off, not worrying about medications or having enough oxygen, as everything was looked after. It wasn’t about CF, it was about being a princess and the kids were just so happy.’
Lauren says that when she and Gillian woke up in their fourposter bed the next day, they couldn’t believe what had just happened.
‘It was just such a whirlwind,’ she says. It was so magical and unforgettable, and Gillian was so well for the wish.’
Sadly, Gillian passed away less than two years after her special day as a princess.
‘She talked about it right up until she passed, even though it took place nearly two years earlier,’ says Elaine. ‘I keep a picture of her from that day by the cooker, and every day I light a candle for her and talk to her while I am in the kitchen.
‘Gillian is our guardian angel, and she is such a big part of our lives as a family. Her spirit is still here with us.’
At the age of 12, Lauren was put on a trial for Kalydeco, which was newly-developed at that point. It has made a huge difference to CF patients’ health and life expectancy, and it had a very beneficial effect on Lauren, who is now 25 and is doing very well on the health front.
She completed a photography PLC after school, followed by a course in media and PR at Carlow IT. She says she tries to live life for both herself and Gillian now.
‘I believe Gillian sent this new drug to Lauren and she has this amazing life today because of it,’ says Elaine, who will be forever grateful to Make-A-Wish for granting her courageous daughters’ special request.
‘The wish brought us together as a family and gave us something that we could have never given the girls,’ Elaine says. ‘It’s a memory that is still fresh in our heads and we remember every part of it. Lauren and Gillian could be normal and just have fun, and out of the 10 years of her life, it was the happiest time of Gillian’s life. It has left a memorable mark that we will never forget and I’ll be forever grateful.’
■ To donate to wishes like this, please donate at makeawish.ie or text MYWISH to donate €4. Texts cost €4 and Make-A-Wish will receive a minimum of €3.60.
‘It was the happiest time of Gillian’s life’