'Taught us so much': 'My Kitchen Rules' stars Carly Saunders and Tresne Middleton mourn infant daughter's leukemia death
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'My Kitchen Rules' stars Carly Saunders and Tresne Middleton revealed on Thursday, February 16 that their 20-month-old daughter Poppy Grace, who was battling with leukemia, died on Thursday, February 16. The duo had been documenting Poppy’s journey on their social media account as she battled the disease.
They posted a photo of their child on their joint account and wrote, "This morning we lost our precious baby Poppy Grace. True to form she fought tooth and nail until her final breath. Her leukemia took over and at her last bloods the blasts were 787,000. That fighting spirit was so prominent right throughout her battle and it was so evident in the last four traumatic days. Poppy showed us what it is to be grateful and happy with whatever cards you are dealt."
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The caption continued, "She made the most of her time on Earth, dancing, giggling and smiling right until days from the end. She was loving and funny and nurturing. She was clever and empathetic. She had a heart of gold and she shone so brightly, oozing joy. We felt honoured to be her mums and we didn’t take a second of that for granted, not a second. She taught us so very much in her short 20 months and we have never experienced a love as all encompassing."
Saunders and Middleton send a message to their followers
The mothers said that they were "so sorry" to share their news with their followers as many of them had donated blood, money and gifts to their daughter, and other similar patients who were battling with blood cancer. "We know there were so many children, teens and adults alike following her journey and we don’t want to hurt their beautiful hearts," they continued. "Please tell them that Poppy's star is shining brightly above them encouraging them to be strong when handed adversity, and to make the most of life and all its sparkling opportunities."
The Poppy Grace Lifeblood Group
Carly and Tresne have set up a noble initiative in the form of a Lifeblood donation group in Poppy's name. There the duo's followers can come together to donate blood and hopefully help sick adults and children like Poppy. "The Poppy Grace Lifeblood Group is fourth in the Newcastle region's leaderboard. Let's get her to first position," the mothers said. "She has encouraged so many of us to rise up and help others by donating blood. Please continue to give blood in her name. We will rise up again for Poppy. We don't know what that looks like yet - we are lost and our purpose is gone. But we'll be back soon and we will live life to the fullest in her honour. There is good to be done from the experiences we have had, there is lots to share and many ways we can make the lives of oncology kids and their parents better. Until then we will rest so we can rise up for our Poppy, forever 20 months old."