Six-year-old Darcy couldn’t contain her excitement when her little sister Beatrice was born.
Sadly, the sisters shared only five days together as Darcy passed away from a rare medical condition she had suffered since birth.
Parents D’Rosario and Emily Nixon spent ‘very special days’ together as a family with her body in a hospice. They created ‘artwork’ from molds of her feet and hands, and took photos with her.
The 25-year-old mother said: “When the hospice mentioned taking her there I was not sure if I could sit with her for five days.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to do it, but as soon as we walked into the hospice, it felt so calm. I didn’t want to leave at the end of five days.
“We got to spend time with her and have photographs taken, including of her and Bea to show her when she’s older.”
The early arrival of baby Beatrice allowed the two sisters to meet before the 6-year-old’s death.
“Darcy was very protective of her. She wanted to be the only one to look after her,” said D’Rosario, 30.
The young girl had a rare health condition called Vacterl association, which affects numerous body systems. She was born with bowel problems, a heart murmur, and a missing bone in her thumb and forearm.
Darcy also had 20 operations and five open heart surgeries. She was expected to reach adulthood but her health started to deteriorate in 2018.
“Darcy had been sat up talking to me about playing a few hours earlier,” Miss Nixon said. “Then, in a flash, she was gone. I stepped back to let the medics work on her and she was very much aware of what was going on. I remember she said ‘where’s my mummy?”
She added: “The moment she passed away she was looking right into my eyes, like she knew and didn’t want to leave without seeing me.”
Beatrice was in the hospital room when her big sister passed away. “The most devastating thing is Darcy did not get to spend enough time with Bea, because that was the thing she was most excited about.
“The house is full of pictures and it feels like there is a connection between them. If you put a picture of Darcy in front of Bea, she smiles like she knows who she is.”
Mr. D’Rosario added: “We are determined that Bea will grow up knowing Darcy and how much her big sister loved her.”
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