COURAGEOUS Mikayla Francis, the little girl who touched the hearts of Australians, left a final poignant message of love for her dad before losing her battle with cancer yesterday.
Last night, heartbroken Andrew Francis wept as he told of his brave seven-year-old daughter's final hours.
Mikayla died after a brief fight against a rare liver cancer at her Cockatoo home surrounded by family at 8.30am yesterday (13 December 2010).
"Her mum put her hand on her chest and I put my hand on her shoulder, and as soon as we touched her, there was a sigh and two breaths, and she was gone," Mr Francis said.
Mikayla's plight moved Australians, with many saying the little girl had taught them about what was really important in life.
Her biggest fear was being forgotten, but her story prompted an emotional outpouring from hundreds, who pledged they would always remember her, granting her greatest wish.
Right to the very end Mikayla's concern for others shone through, and even on her last day, when her brother suffered an anxiety attack, she sat up and called his name, Mr Francis said.
"The most important things I'm going to remember are her courage and faith and her unwavering selflessness," he said.
"Her care and love and consideration for other people was amazing. She always thought about everyone else before herself.
"She was seven years old. She didn't know why and she couldn't comprehend it but she didn't waver in her faith."
Mikayla was bedridden for three days before her death, drifting in and out of consciousness because of her medication.
Mikayla was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma in August, after doctors found a 10cm tumour in her liver.
She had been healthy until a week before her diagnosis, but then she started suffering stomach pains.
She was treated with chemotherapy at the Royal Children's Hospital, but did not respond to treatment. The cancer then spread to her lungs.
In November doctors told Mikayla's parents to bring Christmas forward because they didn't think she would last until Santa visited.
She celebrated Christmas and her seventh birthday on November 27 with up to 1000 friends, family and community members.
"She got to say goodbye to absolutely everyone she needed to," Mr Francis said.
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| Andrew placed his hand on his daughter's coffin following the services |
Other mourners included Mikayla's classmates from Menzies Creek Primary, who formed a guard of honour in the final funeral procession as bubbles they had blown and a group of butterflies, released especially for Mikayla, filled the air.
Her final wish was to never be forgotten and, as we said goodbye to an angel, her memory became secure forever...
Mikayla, before her cancer
Rest in peace Mikayla, I believed Angels are leading you to a better place now.
Isn't this ironic? Mikayla fought for her life, she was 7 years-old and yet she fought her way bravely, albeit failed, but will always be remembered. How about those who have healthy life and ended them easily? The most recent example will be Alviss Kong who jumped off a building after counting down in facebook. Just because a failure in relationship?
The others who followed posting suicide message in facebook, I don't care if they posted it for fun, for popularity or for real, they are just a bunch of fucking morons.
1 comment:
I respect spreading the memory of my sister, but suicide is a real problem and I felt suicidal after her death.
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