Derry mother pledges to do Foyle Hospice Female Walk/Run in memory of her beloved teen daughter

A DERRY mum who lost her 17-year-old daughter to a rare genetic disease last year is completing this year’s Foyle Hospice Female walk in her memory.

Melanie Duddy’s daughter Rachel Thomas passed away in the Hospice last August just a few weeks before her 18th birthday.

Rachel suffered from early onset Huntington’s Disease, a degenerative condition which affected her mobility and caused her to suffer from tremors.

Before her illness took hold Rachel was a normal girl and did well at school.

But when she eight she started getting sick and her family were given the devastating news that she had juvenile Huntington’s disease, which dramatically shortened her life expectancy.

Despite going for days without sleep due to her uncontrollable involuntary movements Rachel never complained.

“In the last four years her symptoms had got very bad and her balance and her speech were affected,” Melanie explained.

“It was absolutely heart breaking to watch.

“But she always smiled. She loved life.

“Towards the end she had two syringe drivers that had to be moved about and she never once complained.

“She would put a lot of people to shame. She just always smiled. She was a very brave girl.”

Rachel loved Harry Styles One Direction and four years ago she got to meet him.

“The charity ‘Rays of Sunshine’ arranged for her to meet the whole band, but she wasn’t really bothered about the rest of them she just wanted to see Harry,” Melanie recalled.

Care

Rachel sadly passed away last August after two bouts of pneumonia followed by a Pseudomonas infection.

“There was just no fight left in her,” said Melanie.

Her death hit Melanie and her three other children Jennifer 12, Gary 7 and Mark 6 very hard.

“It was especially hard on Jennifer because they would have played together whereas the boys had only known her as being unwell,” said Melanie.

“Thankfully Rachel was always very, very well looked after.

“Everyone was very good to her at the Foyle Hospice and the Children’s Hospice in Belfast and at Altnagelvin Children’s Ward, especially Dr Corrigan.”

Rachel’s family and friends will be taking part in this year’s Foyle Hospice Female Walk/Run in her memory.

“She was girlie and she loved glitter and pink and she used to spray glitter in her hair and would have her nails done so we are all going to be covered in glitter,” said Melanie.

“Rachel will be fits in giggles looking down on us.”

Foyle Hospice Female Walk/Run will take place on Sunday June 10 at 1.30pm from Templemore Sports Complex to Ebrington Square.