Maria McNamara

Maria McNamara was born on 11th January 2000 as a healthy little baby girl. She was never really ill
as a baby until she was 6 when we noticed something was wrong her face was droopy and her eye
wasn’t responding like the other eye, so I said ‘Maria smile for me’ and she smiled and I saw
that she couldn’t lift up the right side of her face so we took her to the paediatrician who
diagnosed it as Bells Palsy.

A couple of days later and Maria was saying to me ‘Walk me down the stairs mum, I’m afraid to go
down the stairs. Can you carry me.’ And I thought that was odd, her balance of the room was simply
off. I looked at her eyes and I knew I’d better get her back to the doctors, I just had a feeling
that something wasn’t right.

At that point I’d never in a million years would I have guessed what it would end up being.

On April 1, 2006 life ceased to exist the way my family knew it. My oldest child and only daughter,
Maria, was diagnosed with a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). DIPG is an inoperable incurable
brain tumor that strikes children usually between the ages of 5 and 11. A child with this diagnosis
is given a 10 to 12 month life expectancy.

With the devastating diagnosis of our Maria came a great deal of sorrow and pain as well as
desperation. My husband, Ed, and I frantically searched medical journals, books, articles and the
Internet for anything—any sign of hope that we could cling to that might possibly save our
daughter’s life. Instead, we were surprised to find very little research and few experimental
trials. That which we did find was difficult to decipher from a layman’s perspective and, of
course, each case study ended in the death of a child.

Even from this news, we never gave up hope as we knew she wwas strong enough to battle it.

On the 14th July 07, She became a Saint in Heaven at 1:30 in the morning because her little body
couldn't hang in any longer.
No words can describe the impact she has left on so many lives.
Maria's brothers, Eddie, Aidan, and Blake and Mom and Dad were with her at home.
Please ask God to give us the strength we need.
We love you Maria. You will be with us everyday.

**** On the 6th October 2007 Maria's best friend Sophie Quayle passed away, please visit her site
please on GTS which i have created, but with her own mum's words not mine. May they both be reunited
in heaven & rest in peace out of pain.****