A terminally ill mum has revealed the heart-wrenching letters she’s writing to her one-year-old daughter to read after she dies. Sophie George, of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was told she only has 18 months to live after being diagnosed with a stage four brain tumour in February. The devastated 27-year-old said the hardest thing is knowing she won’t be around for her daughter Marcie Godfrey.
The mum-of-one is writing letters for the day Marcie starts school, her first heartbreak, when she gets married and every birthday. Sophie hopes the letters will bring comfort to her daughter during key moments in her life.
Sophie’s letter for Marcie’s first day of school
‘My darling Marcie. ‘Today is your first day of big school and even though mummy isn’t there to hold your hand or kiss you goodbye as you go in to your class, I will be watching over you and keeping you safe. ‘There is a tissue in your school bag that daddy has sprayed with Mummy’s smell so if you get scared just give it a smell to remind you of mummy and that everything will be okay. ‘Some children might not be very nice to you and you might get sad by that but don’t worry mummy will always love you very much. ‘Whenever you feel sad give your “mummy” teddies hand a squeeze to hear my voice.’
Sophie said: ‘I want to make memories and I want her to remember the times she had with her mum. ‘It scares me every day that I won’t be with her. I’ve started writing her little letters for her to open as she’s growing up. ‘I’ve written one for when she has her first day at school, for when she has her first period and first heartbreak and for when she gets married and has her first baby. ‘I’m writing cards for every birthday ‘I’m telling her that I’ll always be watching over her and keeping her safe. ‘They will be for those times when she needs her mum and so that she’s got something of me to keep my memory alive.
‘They’re for those moments when she would maybe be talking to her mum. ‘Marcie is my life. She’s an energetic ball of fun who makes people laugh with her funny cheeky character.’ The full-time mum and Marcie’s dad Jay Godfrey, 28, have been together for four and half years after meeting on Facebook. The couple are also planning their dream wedding as Sophie decided to propose to builder Jay the day after her devastating diagnosis. Sophie said she first started to get headaches in January and by February they were getting really bad, even waking her up in the night. When she had an MRI scan following weeks of terrible pain, it was revealed there was a 4.5cm tumour on Sophie’s left frontal lobe.
Sophie underwent a six hour operation to remove 90% of the tumour and was told they would target the rest with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The doctors then gave Sophie the terrible news that her tumour was stage four and it was incurable. ‘They said they couldn’t say how long I have left but the average is 18 months,’ she said. ‘Obviously it was heartbreaking. I wouldn’t see my little baby grow up. She’d just turned one and a half and I was thinking I’ll never see her go to school.
Sophie said: ‘I’m only in my twenties and you don’t ever think you’ll be facing something like this. ‘It makes you cherish the little things and be grateful for every moment. I’m so grateful for everything.’