By JUSTINE PERKINS
Three months into the year 2006, I was living the perfect life. I honestly felt like I had been kissed by an angel. John was the perfect husband (he still is), we had been blessed with 2 beautiful children (Will then 2 and a bit) and Olivia (7 months), and we were expecting our third. Life couldn’t be sweeter.
However, in October 2006, our world came crashing down. Olivia fell sick and her condition rapidly deteriorated. Before we knew it we were standing in a cold, stark room in the emergency department of Sydney children’s hospital being told that our daughter had a massive tumour in her chest. Within the hour we were admitted to the intensive care where Olivia was placed in a medically induced sleep. She passed away 3 weeks later. Words cannot describe how black our world became in the blink of an eye….we were absolutely heartbroken and felt numb all over.
We couldn’t accept that a little life could enter the world so peacefully and leave again without there being some drastic change. Our little girl’s life had meaning and we felt that it was our job to find this meaning. Within a month of losing Olivia, John and I had established our charity – we called it Touched by Olivia Foundation. It wasn’t something we entered into lightly. In fact, it was something we really deliberated over. We just didn’t want to be another charity for charity’s sake, and we didn’t want our charity to be an escape from our pain. It was critical that our decision was the right decision for Olivia, for each other and for our children.
Top Comments
Warringah Council are currently working through design & plans for a new playground at Collaroy Beach specifically thinking about children & families with all different needs - not sure if this might be an opportunity to look into as could be a perfect fit for a Livvi's Place. You guys are an inspiration.
It's a long boring story that is too dull to go into, but today I got hit with an unexpected $6,000 electricity bill that is not my fault, but that I have to pay anyway. I've been crying all day and feeling sorry for myself.
Then read this story, and what a wake-up call. Your little Olivia was absolutely beautiful, and what a legacy she has left behind. You guys are amazing xx