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New Christmas traditions
Christmas is an emotional time for Kathie and her family, but she’s found ways to make it special for the whole family, including Annabelle.

Kathie’s eldest daughter, Annabelle, was just three and a half years old when she was diagnosed with DIPG – a rare cancer of the brain stem.
Annabelle lived for two years after diagnosis, but died in January 2019, leaving behind her parents and her younger siblings, brother William and sister Juliette. Since then, baby Vivianna has joined the family – her name means “alive Anna”, after the big sister she didn’t get to meet.
Christmas is particularly triggering for the family, but Kathie has found ways to make it special for the whole family, including Annabelle.
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“I kind of blocked out a lot in those first few weeks, because there’s so many people coming to see us all the time, talk to us, and tell us different things. I was kind of numb really.”
“I kind of blocked out a lot in those first few weeks, because there’s so many people coming to see us all the time, talk to us, and tell us different things. I was kind of numb really.”