We are raising money for Haven House Children’s Hospice, a wonderful charity supporting young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their families. From respite to end-of-life care, Haven House is a godsend to children like Kaleigh and families like us.

We will be skydiving in honour of our beautiful daughter, the incredible people at Haven House, and the indispensable service they provide. If you can, please donate to our fundraiser. Donating is easy, quick, and secure.

Scott and Yang x

Kaleigh’s Story

Like most girls her age, our Kaleigh enjoyed being a princess, attending dance lessons, singing, swimming, and playing with her friends. She was a loving daughter and caring big sister to her younger brother Carson.

In April 2016, Kaleigh didn’t seem her usual self. She complained of double vision, and we noticed her left eye turning slightly inwards. Following consultation with her optician, a trip to Moorfield eye hospital, and a CT and MRI scan at Royal London general hospital, we were told a lump had been found in Kaleigh’s brain.

We were transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital, who confirmed the diagnosis that Kaleigh had developed a condition called DIPG. There was no known cure and average survival time is 9 MONTHS from diagnosis

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (D.I.P.G.) is a tumor located in the pons of the brain stem. The brainstem is the bottom-most portion of the brain, connecting the cerebrum with the spinal cord. The majority of tumours in the pons grow amidst the nerves and are therefore inoperable.

For the next two months, Kaleigh completed 30 scheduled sessions of radiotherapy. At first, the radiotherapy was effective in shrinking the tumour and Kaleigh had a few months of life relatively symptom-free. However, the tumour soon grew back with far more aggression.

After much research and consideration, we took Kaleigh to Monterrey, Mexico 12 months after diagnosis to be part of a pioneering treatment. It was far from a cure, but for an illness that has no cure, this was a ray of hope. The treatment was initially a huge success, a major step forward and helped delay the progression, but eventually the disease caught up with Kaleigh.

On Tuesday 12th of June 2018, our beautiful, intelligent, lively daughter passed away. She fought this evil disease so courageously for over 26 months, and we are determined to honour her strength for every day that we live on this earth without her.

This chapter of Kaleigh’s story may have come to an end, but her story will continue to be told, and her legacy will live on through our fundraising.

Wai-Chung Lau