Leah’s family are working hard to ensure her memory lives on
A 24-year-old woman who died has left a lasting legacy that will help others who suffer from the same condition she did. Leah Hayes was just one day old when she was rushed into surgery for an operation on her bowel.
It was after the operation that her family were told by doctors that she had cystic fibrosis. Stephen Hayes, 64, and Karen Hayes, 64, from Maghull, were in shock over the news their daughter would suffer with the genetic condition for the rest of her life.
Stephen recalled the moment they were sat down and told the devastating news. He told the ECHO: “My daughter was born with cystic fibrosis in 1985. The day after she was born she was ill and had to have an operation on her bowl, it was a shock to the family. We didn’t know anything at the time, the operation was to get her to a stage where she could come home.
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“It was after the operation they [the doctors] sat us down and told us she has cystic fibrosis. We had to learn how to do everything, the medication, the care. My wife was a champion doctor in terms of caring for Leah, you just get on with things.”
Despite the challenges cystic fibrosis presented Leah with, her dad said she “went through school, worked at NatWest and had wonderful friends and family.” He added: “Leah has three sisters and everyone loved her.”
Leah and her family did lots of charity work to raise money for cystic fibrosis trusts, including founding a charity ball, and have raised thousands over the years. Stephen said: “Leah started raising money for cystic fibrosis, we did lots of things and donated the money to the cause.
“It was actually Leah’s idea to hold our first charity ball, she went to one and she came back and said we would do a better job. So we decided to hold a charity ball at the Marriott Hotel in Liverpool in 2009.”
Leah died shortly after in 2009, and the family decided to continue throwing the annual ball in her memory. Stephen said: “We didn’t know if we would stage another charity ball after she passed away but with the help of friends and family who rallied around we continued and thought it would be a great way to remember Leah. The ball is part of a legacy for her and a way for friends and family to remember Leah.”
Each year the family raises thousands through their charity ball and donate it to families affected by cystic fibrosis, until one day somebody told Stephen he just set up as a charity.
He said: “We always wanted to help the families in the north west, that is what our audience is. We started doing that and giving small grants and gifts then in 2019 someone said to me you should register as a charity so I completed the forms and became an official charity.
“We have been so successful and have been able to send people on holidays. Now, we have hospitals across the north west and social workers on board with our charity, they recommend people to turn to us for help. We have also kept the ball going annually and we’ve named it after Leah, Leah’s friends of CF, it’s her legacy.“
You can visit the Leah’s Friends of CF Facebook page for more information on the charity.
