Mum whose two-year-old daughter has months to live starts campaign to give her a magical last Christmas

 

A mum whose two-year-old daughter only has months to live has launched a fundraising campaign to give her a magical last Christmas. Little Amelia Morris, who is nearly three, has Tay Sachs disease, a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive damage to the nervous system. 

Her mum Whitney Morris, 21, from Wigan, has launched a campaign on gofundme so she can transform her home into a Christmas wonderland decked out in hundreds of lights.

The mum-of-two told Manchester Evening News : “The last time we spoke to a doctor they said Amelia only had a few months left.

“We thought of what she loves doing and she loves lights and music. I want to light up the whole house for her.

“We’ve asked a hospice for some charity buckets and we’ll have them outside if people want to make a donation.”

Whitney said she and her husband Jonathan Morris were ‘in pieces’ when they found out the devastating news and that Christmas would be ‘bitter sweet’ this year.

She said: “We found out when she was about nine months old. We were in pieces. Amelia suffers from seizures, her eye sight is bad and she isn’t very mobile.

“We’re in and out of hospital with her all of the time. My husband had to quit work so we could be with Amelia.

“We just want to raise awareness about our campaign and also about the disease.”

Whitney said Amelia’s little sister Emily, who is only one, can see that her sister is not well.

She said: “Emily can see that her big sister can’t play with other children. She knows something is wrong.

“But Amelia doesn’t really know what’s going on, she can’t understand.”
The family’s campaign has so far raised £915 out of £1,000 target in eight days.
The Cats Foundation (Cure & Action for Tay-Sachs) have been in touch with the family providing care and support.
Daniel Lewi and his wife Patricia founded the charity when their six-year-old daughter Amelie was diagnosed with the condition.

Mr Lewi said:“As a charity we have a family support officer who visits the children, as they’re too sick to travel.

“We’ve had a lot of contact with Amelia and her family, it’s a really great campaign that they’re doing to give her the best Christmas.

“People have been extremely generous.”