Rebecca

Sue and Nick Pye were a happy, loving couple. They were married in September 1988 and planned to start a family within two years. Sadly, they discovered they could not have children of their own, so decided to adopt. In December 1995 a six month old baby girl was placed with them and they were overjoyed. Their family was complete.Rebecca was a lovely little girl, whose radiant smile captured the hearts of everyone she met, and her parents doted on her. When she started school her future looked bright - but then illness struck. It was the beginning of a nightmare for the family and a desperate battle for Rebecca as the medical profession, baffled at first over her symptoms, eventually arrived at a diagnosis that she was suffering from a rare disease in which life expectancy was limited. The news devastated her parents. In a short time, their daughter deteriorated to the point where she was left fighting for her life and doctors told Sue and Nick to prepare themselves for the worst. Rebecca was suffering from Leigh Syndrome, a disease noted for its degradation in one’s ability to control movements caused by lesions on the brain stem. Supported by family and friends, Sue and Nick kept vigil at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, for three months as their little girl, just four and a half, fought for survival. But what doctors hadn’t bargained for was Rebecca’s character and spirit. She clung to life, often being kept alive by a ventilator, but she fought the incurable disease sufficiently to return home. Despite many setbacks Rebecca continued to confound medical opinion and live life, albeit with restrictions, to the full. Hers is an incredible and inspirational story . . . 3