Daisy just wanted to grow up… but she didn’t get the chance
from After losing her daughter, Sarah Griffiths, 46, alive. Blackwood, is determined to keep her legacy
Pottering around the kitchen, it was another busy day in our house. As I got to work on a few chores, my daughter Daisy, then
12, was dancing around the island, listening to Ed Sheeran’s, Castle on the Hill.
It was her favourite song, so we all had to listen to it on repeat.
Along with Daisy, I had my son Evan, then 10, and little Zak, then four, who I’d had with my husband Leighton, now 55.
Although Leighton was Daisy and Evan’s stepdad, he was amazing with them and particularly enjoyed watching Daisy prance around the kitchen.
We had a wonderful life, but in July 2015, everything changed.
After complaining of leg spasms, Daisy was taken down for an X-ray.
‘We need you to bring her back in for an MRI,’ the doctor told me down the phone. ‘We’ve found a shadow on her hip and pelvic bone.’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
Daisy was such an energetic girl.
She was always off playing netball or running with the school.
I’d just assumed she’d over done it or was growing. She was the right age after all.
It’s probably nothing, I tried to convince myself.
After that, everything happened so quickly, but just a few weeks later, my whole world collapsed.
‘I’m afraid she has Ewing’s sarcoma,’ the consultant told us. ‘It’s a rare form of bone cancer.’
Frozen in shock, you could have knocked me down with a feather.
How could this be happening? I thought to myself.
‘It’s going to be OK, Mum,’ Daisy suddenly said.
Staring at her, I couldn’t believe she was the one comforting me.
She was the kindest little girl I’d ever known.
My first-born, my best friend – why was this happening to her?
‘Is it curable?’ I asked the consultant. ‘The treatment has a good success rate,’ he smiled.
Although it was reassuring, my little girl still had cancer and I didn’t know how I would cope. However, Daisy was so brave. As soon as she was diagnosed, she took it in her stride.
She began chemo a few weeks later and had major surgery to remove the tumour.
Although it was the worst time of my life, Daisy just kept on smiling.
‘I’m going to be fine,’ she kept telling us.
She refused to believe she couldn’t beat it.
When she could, she played around with her brothers and even went to school. Daisy decided to shave off her hair and we were gifted a beautiful wig by the Little Princess Trust.
When she was diagnosed, the charity Dreams and Wishes got in touch to gift her an ipad. We’d never heard of them before, but we were so grateful. For the next year, Daisy battled relentlessly. She had chemotherapy, surgery and we even flew over to America in January 2016 so she could have proton beam therapy. Daisy was doing so well and doctors were extremely happy with her progress.
In August 2016, we had the news we were so desperate for. ‘She has the all-clear,’ the consultant smiled.
Sobbing with exhaustion and relief, we were just so happy.
‘I told you I’d be fine,’ Daisy smiled, tears in her eyes.
For the past year, as a family we’d almost gone into pilot mode.
We were told Daisy would need regular check-ups, but we hoped we could get back on with our lives.
However, not three weeks later, at a follow-up MRI, we received more devastating news.
‘I’m afraid the cancer is back and it’s spread to her lungs,’ the consultant told us.
My heart just dropped.
She had the all-clear just three weeks before...
Looking over at Daisy, she had that confident look on her face.
The look that said; ‘I’m fine, Mum’, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t good.
And so, jumping back on the
rollercoaster, Daisy began chemo.
Every three weeks, she’d be in for her treatment.
It was absolutely gruelling for her, but she was determined to live a normal childhood.
‘I want to go to school,’ she’d tell me whenever she was feeling good. Daisy’s strength was amazing. Only, in January 2017, the doctors told us there was nothing more they could do.
‘She can have radiotherapy to prolong her life, but it’s incurable,’ the consultant told us.
My whole world stopped. From the day she was diagnosed, none of us had even considered the thought that she could die.
Daisy was so strong – I just kept telling myself she would beat it.
But now, my world was collapsing and every part of me was breaking into a million pieces.
Only, as usual, instead of getting upset, Daisy was comforting us.
‘It’s incurable until they find a cure, Mum’ she smiled.
I couldn’t believe it. She really was wonderful. I knew I had to be strong for Daisy.
If she could smile through it, then I could, too.
And so, not knowing how long she had left, we all wanted to spoil her rotten.
With the help of family and friends, as well as Dreams and Wishes, we organised a pamper night, a school trip to Tenby, sleepovers and a Dance with Daisy night.
Dreams and Wishes also paid for us to meet the Welsh rugby team and watch the Wales vs England match. Daisy loved it. As the weeks passed by, Daisy’s health began to deteriorate.
She was tired all the time and could barely get out of bed. However, she never gave up. She powered through and enjoyed all of her special days.
When the Dance with Daisy rolled around in March, I didn’t think she’d be able to go.
She was so poorly, but she wasn’t missing it for the world. ‘I’m going,
Mum,’ she said.
And so, surrounded by her friends and family, we had the party of a lifetime.
Watching her dance the night away with her friends, it was a bittersweet evening.
We all knew this would be the last dance she’d ever attend, but it was so hard not to smile seeing the glee in her eyes.
As Stand by Me came on, Daisy and I took centre stage and had our mother and daughter dance.
As I held her close, I just soaked in every second I had of her.
It was the perfect night, with so many memories, but I knew Daisy’s time on this earth was running short.
Over the next few weeks, Daisy slipped in and out of consciousness.
‘Is it nearly my time?’ she asked the nurse when she came to visit.
‘I’m afraid it is Daisy,’ the nurse told her honestly.
For first time, Daisy allowed herself to admit it and she broke down.
‘I want to grow up, I want to see my brothers grow up and I want to go to prom,’ she sobbed in my arms.
Watching her deteriorate in front of my eyes was so cruel.
She had such a bright future ahead of her, but she’d never get to live it.
On 1 May 2017, Daisy lost her battle at just 14-years-old.
She died peacefully in her bed, surrounded by her loved ones. I was completely numb, but the boys all rallied around me.
I don’t know what I would have done without them.
On 17 May, over 400 people turned up to say goodbye to Daisy.
She’d never grow up to get married and have a wedding, so we decided the celebration of her life should be a white extravaganza.
Dreams and Wishes paid for her to be escorted to the church in a horse and carriage and I can’t thank them enough for everything they did for us.
It was perfect and as we said goodbye to her, listening to Castle on the Hill, I know Daisy would have loved it.
In the days and weeks after Daisy’s death, everything was a blur, but I knew she wouldn’t want us to give up.
Daisy was the strongest and kindest person I’ve ever had the honour of meeting, and so I decided to keep that legacy alive.
Dreams and Wishes did so much for us, so I decided to start raising money for them.
With the help of the boys, I’ve held raffle nights, candle events and parties in Daisy’s honour.
Zak, now 10, has run an incredible six miles and Leighton has taken on a bike ride.
Four years after Daisy’s death and we’ve raised a whopping £70,293 for Dreams and Wishes.
They are such an incredible charity and every penny goes to seriously ill children and their families, which is why I am now an ambassador for them.
We miss Daisy every single day and whenever Stand by Me comes on, I just think of our final dance.
There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think of her, but raising money for Dreams and Wishes gives me a focus.
She was such a wonderful person and it breaks my heart every day that she didn’t get to grow up.
I know she’s up there looking down on us, and I just hope we’re making her proud.
My Daisy, my daughter, my princess, my angel.
All Daisy wanted to do was grow up