The mum of a 6-year-old girl who died after battling a rare lung disease is raising money for a children’s ward in her daughter’s memory.
Lucy Baker, from Beckenham, had Interstitial Lung Disease which built up scar tissue on her lungs making it difficult to breathe.
Her mum Lynn Baker, 41, is fundraising for the Badger Ward at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), where Lucy was treated from nine months old.
Miss Baker, who lives in High Street, Beckenham, said: “When she was nine months old I took her to the doctors with a bad cough, she wasn’t putting on weight. They said she had scarring on her lungs and she was put on oxygen. She was on oxygen for the rest of her life.
“Her lungs were too weak, she was just too tiny, so they couldn’t do a lung transplant.”
Lucy outside Great Ormond Street Hospital. Photo: Lynn Baker
Lucy passed away in March 2014 and Miss Baker is fundraising now to keep busy at a difficult time of year, and to thank the hospital staff who cared for her daughter.
She said: “They were so good to us, more like a friend to us than a doctor “The doctor said he was so fond of Lucy, he missed seeing her smiley face.”
She added: “It is a difficult time of the year, so I like to keep myself occupied, to get my mind off everything.
“All I want is to help other children who are in the same situation as Lucy was and to make my daughter proud.”
Miss Baker has set up a JustGiving page to raise money, and so far has raised more than £1000 of the £2,500 target.
On the fundraising page she has written: “I just want to tell you a little about Lucy, [she] was a small girl with a big heart and a big personality, she was beautiful, funny, cheeky and a very loving girl and everyone who met her fell in love with her straight away.
“Lucy was the brightest ray of sunshine and was loved by everyone, she was full of fun and cheekiness and she kept me on my toes, I loved her giggles and never ending sense of fun but most of all her enthusiasm for her doing her best at everything.
“Lucy loved to be the dancing queen and now my Lucy is a special angel in heaven.”
Miss Baker is holding The Lucy Baker Brighter Future Fund Easter Bizarre to help raise money for GOSH.
The Easter themed fundraising event is at 10am to 4pm on April 9 at St George’s Church Hall in Albemarle Road, Beckenham, and will have a raffle, cake stall and refreshments.
To donate online visit the JustGiving page
To donate prizes for the raffle or tombola contact Miss Baker via Facebook.
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