Laura and Lynn's Story: Living in the Shadow of Their Smiles, by Jane McKenna

Laura and Lynn’s Story recounts the heartbreaking tale of the McKenna family, who lost both daughters to illness 20 months apart. Laura, aged four, died very quickly and peacefully after the final surgery to repair a hole in her heart, having previously spent seven months of the first year of her life in Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin and gone through three previous surgeries.

On the day of Laura’s surgery, Lynn, aged 13 at the time and never sick in her life, was diagnosed with leukemia. Laura died the following day, never having woken up, and Lynn was already a patient in Oncology at Our Lady’s Hospital. After eight months of chemo and other aggressive treatments, she was in remission for about five months before she relapsed. While waiting for a bone marrow transplant her condition worsened, and there was nothing else that could be done.

Knowing that she had to do something to deal with her grief, Jane set up LauraLynn House, Ireland’s first children’s hospice. Opened by President Mary McAleese in September 2011, LauraLynn House has provided hundreds of sick children and their families with the care, comfort and respite that a children’s hospice brings, especially the wonderful care at the all too sad end-of-life.

Laura and Lynn’s Story is a tribute to two brave little girls whose lives were cut short, but it is also a testament to the remarkable resilience and determination of their mother, Jane, who was unwavering in her desire for something positive to come out of the tragedy.

The author’s proceeds from this publication will be donated to LauraLynn House.

About the Author
Jane McKenna is the founder of LauraLynn House, Ireland’s only Children’s Hospice.