SICK children all over Cork will receive a present from an angel in heaven to mark a very special birthday.
That’s the wish of Michelle Savage, from Glanmire, whose little girl passed away from cancer more than a year ago. Alisha Savage would have celebrated her sixth birthday this Saturday, August 20.
Alisha Savage.
To mark the special day, the Savage family plans to collect presents to give to deserving children in Cork hospitals. It was the memory of Alisha’s giving nature that sparked John and Michelle’s idea. “Alisha’s favourite place in the world was Claire’s Accessories but every time we went there all she wanted was to pick up things for other people,” Michelle said.
“I always try to do what Alisha would have wanted. At least this way seriously ill children can know they have someone watching over them who knows what they’re going through.”
Alisha’s little sister, Emma Louise, is already preparing to distribute the gifts which will be donated by the people of Cork.
“I don’t want Emma Louise to grow up dreading this day every year. Instead, I’d like to use it as a stepping stone and learning curve. Giving out the presents will reiterate the importance of kindness. She’s learned a lot from Alisha already. Having a sick sister meant she always had to put other people’s needs before her own. Even now she’ll never ask to go to the toy shop or demand anything.”
She hopes the gesture will help seriously ill kids forget their pain for a while. “Whenever Alisha got cards or presents I’d watch her light up and forget all the pain for a couple of minutes. Those little things were her means of survival. Every day she would have something small that kept her going through the pain and suffering. Alisha was a very positive little girl, such that she would ask if we could all go to McDonalds after intense cancer treatments.”
Alisha with her mum Michelle, dad John and little sister Emma-Louise.
The family will take time out in the afternoon to make the birthday extra special.
“At the end of the day, we will take Emma Louise shopping for a present of her own. She’s also going to pick out a present for Alisha which we’ll bring to the grave. I normally don’t bring Emma Louise to visit Alisha as it can be a little confusing for her. But for special occasions, she’ll always come with me. The plot is filled with all the frozen characters Alisha loved. We hope to release some Frozen balloons to celebrate her memory.”
Michelle and her husband John will do their utmost to focus on the positives. “There are so many things that make me happy about Alisha’s birthday. It reminds me of the day I gave birth to a beautiful little girl and how proud I am of who she was. We could cry our eyes out for the day that’s in it but as much as it hurts we have to make something positive out of our experience.”
Donations of presents can be left at Cork Penny Dinners between 9am and 2pm each day. Gifts must be newly bought and in good condition. Michelle also hopes the people of Cork will help her keep up the birthday tradition.
Last year saw celebrities such as Liverpool legend Ian Rush and solicitor Gerald Kean take to the Alisha’s Story Facebook page with purple nails. John went to great lengths to cheer his daughter up as she battled her illness Boston Hospital, even allowing Alisha to paint his nails in her favourite shade of purple. The online movement which later followed saw members of emergency departments across Ireland all paint their nails for the cause.
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