Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
We held our beautiful princess Lacey in our arms & said goodbye
Parents lose fifth child to rare undiagnosed condition
A FAMILY has revealed they are “heartbroken beyond words” after losing their fifth child to an undiagnosed condition.
Lacey Pollock, four, passed away yesterday morning and mum Jamie and dad Mark said they are devastated at the death of their “princess”.
The parents also lost their 13-year-old daughter Jamie-lee in 2014, nine-weekold Lexie in 2012, six-year-old Ellie in 2011 and 11-month-old Jordan all to the same rare condition that as yet remains unknown.
Despite needing round-the-clock care, little Lacey was seemingly doing well until things took a turn for the worse on January 7 when she suddenly stopped breathing at her home in Dundonald, East Belfast.
Having spent the past number of weeks in intensive care at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children with no signs of improvement, her ventilator was turned off on Thursday.
Lacey passed away peacefully surrounded by her parents and brothers Kane, Zack, Ollie and Mark.
Jamie said: “We held our beautiful princess Lacey in our arms and said goodbye.
“We are totally heartbroken, really have no words. Love you my angel, sleep tight princess.
“We are totally devastated, heartbroken beyond words.
“I have no words, I just don’t know how we are going to get through this at all.”
Determined to make her last week as special as possible, people from across Northern Ireland reached out and helped the Pollock family to give Lacey a week to remember.
With special visits from Belfast Giants, a video message from Carl Frampton, Disney characters and much more, Jamie said the family were overwhelmed by the generosity of the public.
Before Lacey’s health deteriorated, the family had also been fundraising to finish a dedicated memorial garden at their home.
Jamie said the money raised will now be used to complete the garden and give their daughter the funeral she deserves.
She added: “I really want to thank everyone that has been there for us and to the people that helped make Lacey’s last week so special, and to the people that have donated to the memorial garden so far via her Gofundme page.
“Anything left over from this will go to making her wee funeral special.
“We never ever thought this day would ever come so soon for our wee lady.”
Speaking previously about the lifelimiting illness which medics have been unable to explain, Jamie told the Mirror: “Doctors just don’t know, genetics are fine. We had our eldest Jamie-lee in Great Ormond Street in London before she passed away and she had nerves and muscle all taken away for testing.
“We spent six months there but they couldn’t come back with an answer.”
Having endured such heartache, not to mention Jamie losing her own grandmother just last week, the 35-year-old said they will continue to try to give their children the best life.
She added: “It’s so hard but we have to keep going for our other children.”
If you would like to donate to the Pollock family’s fundraising page visit www.gofundme.com/aufjc5-laceys-wish.
We are just devastated. I don’t know how we’ll ever get through this MUM JAMIE POLLOCK DUNDONALD YESTERDAY