'˜It's a cruel illness but Molly was so strong, it makes us so proud of her'

Molly-Lee Moore from Brookfield in Preston died just a month before her 21st birthday.

Her family are now hosting a charity night in memory her to raise money for the hospital ward which cared for her through her illness.

Molly’s mum Julie Moore, 43, said: “She was just a normal 20-year-old who liked makeup. She didn’t get out much, she was more of a family person.

“She was the one in the house who made us laugh.

“No matter what she suffered it never ever got her down. She would always say you can’t change things.

“Considering what she went through she was very strong headed and never ever go down.”

Molly’s parents, Julie and Paul Lee, 47, discovered that their baby daughter had cystic fibrosis when she was just six weeks old.

It is a genetic disorder that affects the lungs, but it also affects the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine.

Molly died on December 4, 2017, a month before her 21st birthday on January 23.

Julie, who works at the Spar in Brookfield, says that Molly seemed to know that she was dying.

“She had a feeling,” said Julie, who also has a 17-year-old daughter called Charlotte. “She didn’t feel like the medicine was working like it used to work.

“I don’t know, maybe you know when it’s coming.

“Towards the end Molly arranged her own funeral and bought the family Christmas gifts.

“She told us not to cry and told us not to go out and buy anything special for the funeral, to dress how we would want to dress.

“She did all the planning, all the songs. I can’t believe how strong she was.”

Molly had planned two white horses to lead her carriage for her funeral on December 17, 2017 at Preston Crematorium.

Julie said: “She didn’t want any flowers. There was a picture of her and her dog, a cocker spaniel called Ralph. She had bought Ralph two years previously to cheer herself up.

“There was a song from the Lion King on the way in and I’m Alive by Celine Dion on the way out.

“She also planned her 21st, which was in January, she was calling it MFest. She had booked everything. I think it was a focus. She told us to go ahead with the party but we never did.”

Growing up, Molly went to Brookfield Community Primary School and the City of Preston High School in Ribbleton.

“She wasn’t well enough to work,” said Julie. “She used to do all our makeup. Makeup and watching tutorials online was her hobby.

“She just used to say to me let me try this on your eye and if you were going anywhere I’d say to her will you do my makeup.

“Her routine was very strict with physio and medication. She suffered really badly with anxiety and panic attacks but it still didn’t get her down.

“She relied on other people taking her out in a wheelchair. When she went shopping she used to buy pyjamas, she was obsessed with pyjamas.

“We used to go for a family meal once a month.”

Molly’s aunt Wendy Moore also lives in Brookfield. She said: “Twelve months before she passed she was saying she wanted to go round the world.

“She was on medication and oxygen 90 per cent of the time. She used to do physio three or four times a day to control it.

“She didn’t tell anyone she was poorly until she was 13, she didn’t talk about cystic fibrosis.

“It stopped her from going out. From about 14 or 15 years old she started staying in. When she told people about it – that’s when she started staying in. She had to get fed through a tube at night and used to have coughing fits.

“She was just very bubbly, she was very strong with it. She never moaned. She just used to soldier it out. She had a friend who used to take her shopping at Blackpool Primark. She loved shopping, makeup and Disney movies.”

The journey since Molly’s untimely death has been tough for her family but the charity night has given them a focus.

Julie said: “It’s hard because we spent a lot of time with her and you have to get used to not seeing her so her not being here is very hard.

“The way I look at cystic fibrosis it’s a disease that attacks the inside, you wouldn’t know anything was wrong from the outside.

“I just say it’s cruel illness but Molly was so strong, it makes us proud of her.”

Charity Night

The charity night in memory of Molly is to take place at The Wilbraham club in Preston on Saturday, August 18.

Funds raised will go to the Pearce Ward at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester.

Julie said: “We are raising money for the ward where Molly spent a lot of time. She got very close to the doctors and nurses. It’s a ward of its own, it’s like one big family.

“They were really good with her. It’s just a way of saying thanks for everything.

“Molly enjoyed parties. We didn’t want it to be a sad night, we wanted it to be remembering how she was.”

Wendy said: “There’s quite a few things going on, we have a raffle. Somebody in Longridge raised £4,000 doing an auction night. We have got a couple of grand already.

“My little girl Lily-Mae, who is nine, is going to cut her hair on the night.”

To donate see www.gofundme.com/molly-lee-moore