The moment we become parents, we dream of what our little one will be when they grow up. We want our kids to be happy and to live their life to the full. We will do what it takes to help our children experience the best that life can offer, if we can.
Andy and Sammi Barnard from the UK, are parents who have the same dream for their children, like any other parents in the world. But their time to make one of their child’s dreams come true has a time limit.
The young couple are parents to three children, but their youngest child, 16-month-old Poppy-Mai is terminally ill with a rare and fast-moving cancer. Andy and Sammi are doing all they can to make sure their daughter’s last days are full of life and love and happiness. So much so that the family celebrated a fairytale wedding for their youngest daughter so she could experience what it would be like to be a bride.
Less than two years ago, Andy and Sammi were excited to learn they were pregnant with a baby girl, the perfect addition to their family of two boys. Poppy-Mai was born in November 2014, and was the first girl born to the family.
Gorgeous Poppy-Mai, Via Facebook Andy Barnard
But when Poppy-Mai was 15 months old, she became fussy and experienced constipation and an upset tummy. The toddler stopped eating and Sammi became concerned over her daughter’s health. After a visit to the doctor, they were given some laxatives and sent home.
When Poppy-Mai didn’t get any better and became sicker, she was rushed to hospital. The diagnosis wasn’t good. Doctors believed Poppy-Mai had Wilms’ tumor, a form of liver cancer.
Image via Facebook, Football Fundraiser for Poppy-Mai
After mores tests and biopsies, the diagnosis became worse. Poppy-Mai was suffering from an extremely rare and aggressive cancer called a malignant rhabdoid tumor and it had spread from her kidneys to her lungs in a matter of days.
The Barnards chose to pursue the most active medical treatment available to give Poppy-Mai a chance but after four weeks of treatments, doctors found an inoperable brain tumour.
Image via Facebook Football fundraiser
Sammi and Andy decided to bring their daughter home and ensure her final days are pain free, surrounded by those that love and adore her.
Twitter/Lancashire Telegraph
They have chosen to give the little girl the time of her life with the remaining days she has due to her terminal prognosis. A wedding seemed to be a fitting way to celebrate the little girl, with daddy being the groom.
Andy told the Metro, “From the moment we found out Poppy-Mai was a girl, I’ve said she’d have the wedding of her dreams one day. I never ever thought it would be like this.”
Sammi told the Daily Mail, “I couldn’t stop crying. Being our only daughter, we’d often talked about one day watching her get married.”
Poppy-Mai’s two older brothers Rylee and Jenson-Jay walked her down the aisle to ‘give her away’ to her daddy, the groom. Poppy wore a Christening gown that belonged to her cousin and a beautiful ceremony was set up with close friends and family in attendance.
The celebration was capped off with Poppy-Mai falling asleep on her daddy’s chest from all the excitement.
Twitter/2BR
Twitter/2BR
The Barnard’s have set up a GoFundMe page to fundraise money to support other children with rare and aggressive cancers.
In the meantime the family are spending quality time with their youngest family member, cherishing each moment and making sure Poppy-Mai’s last days, are the best ones of her life.
