Emigrating...but we will never forget our Maisie (From Echo)

Emigrating...but we will never forget our Maisie

12:00pm Friday 10th February 2012 in Local News By Ryan McCarthy

A FAMILY who suffered heartbreak when their daughter died are set to start a new life in the sun after raising more than £150,000 for Havens Hospices.

Richard and Emma Pike, both 39, have raised the cash in memory of their daughter Maisie, who died when she was just two and a half.

The couple, of Braemar Crescent, Leigh, have supported Havens Hospices, the south Essex charity which cared for little Maisie, since she died in 2005.

Mr Pike, an insurance worker in the City, has accepted a role with one of his clients based in Sydney and the couple felt the time was right to move.

Mr Pike said: “We have been through a hell of a lot so it is great to have something good happening.

“Our experience with Maisie made us realise life is not a dress rehearsal and we could not let the opportunity pass.”

Maisie died after suffering with Tay Sachs disease, a rare genetic condition which causes nerves to gradually degenerate and die.

Maisie was officially diagnosed on April 23, 2004 – two weeks before her first birthday.

She was referred to Little Havens children’s hospice in Thundersley, which provides free care for children who are not expected to live to adulthood.

Maisie died at home in bed in December 2005.

Since then, seven charity golf days and fundraising dinners in Maisie’s name have raised thousands for the charity.

Mrs Pike said: “There was an element of hesitation in going because of what we have been through here.

“We have not forgotten anything, but it feels like the timing is right.

“Every year we go to a thanksgiving event at Havens and last May we went and I remember thinking it didn’t feel quite as raw.”

Mrs Pike said there is a special bench at Little Havens in Maisie’s honour and she is looking forward to returning to visit it.

The couple and their two children, Jake, four, and Abigail, five, are set to fly out from Heathrow Airport on Monday.

Last week, the family popped into the hospice to bid farewell to the nurses who had cared for Maisie.

Children staying at the hospice had helped to make them a ‘goodbye’ card to wish them well for their new life.

Mrs Pike said: “We were bowled over by the send-off Little Havens gave us and very touched by the card.

“Little Havens and the staff will always be in our hearts as it is such a special place and they are special people.”

The family will continue to support the charity by fundraising through a special fund on the charity’s website and they will return to the UK in September for the annual golf day.

For more information about supporting Havens Hospices, call 01702 220350 or visit www.havens hospices.org.uk