Brennagh Mckay, 11, farewelled
A final celebration has been held for an 11-year-old Manawatu¯ girl who doctors said wouldn’t live past her first birthday.
Rongotea girl Brennagh Mckay was diagnosed with the rare genetic disorder trisomy 13 when she was 9 months old and had been in and out of hospital ever since.
After several illnesses and major surgeries, a death notice in Monday’s Manawatu¯ Standard stated Brennagh died on Saturday.
It explains that she died peacefully, with her parents Alex and Kathleen Mckay, and siblings Ty, Connor, Chris, Alister, and Kieran at her side. Her funeral, advertised as Brennagh’s final celebration, was held in Feilding yesterday.
Brennagh was born three months’ premature and was one of three children in New Zealand with the disorder. The illness led to several medical problems and, four years ago, meant threequarters of her bowel had to be removed and a tube connected directly to her stomach for feeding.
Her mother Kathleen Mckay said in January that only 1 per cent of children born with the disorder made it past 12 months old.
But it never stopped Brennagh from showing kindness to other children. She first generated headlines in 2016, organising a toy drive to brighten Christmas for other sick children in Palmerston North and Wellington hospitals.
The Manawatu¯ community donated hundreds of pre-loved toys and about $200 cash.