My Angel Tree: A True Experience

by Kirsty Bilski, Noel Edmonds

In April 2000, Kirsty Bilskis life couldnt have been happier. It was a time of celebration and the start of a new life and brighter future for her and her new husband, Jerzy, together with her three children from her previous marriage, Jessica, Gemma and Stewart. Six months later, however, her familys world was shaken to its very core when Jessica, at the tender age of ten, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of liver cancer. This is the heart-rending story of Jessicas courageous journey through her illness, told through the eyes of her mother, who travelled alongside her daughter every step of the way, refusing to give up hope and guiding her with an incredible honesty that allowed Jessica to make important decisions about her own care, the most harrowing of all coming with the acceptance that she was going to die and that pursuing further treatment was not going to save her. There are highs, such as family holidays and meeting Myleene Klass, who dedicated her debut album to Jessicas memory, and there are extreme lows as Jessica, in February 2002, finally loses her fight for life in the beautiful and supportive surroundings of Little Bridge House Childrens Hospice. Jessica was an inspirational child who touched the hearts of many during her short lifetime, and she will continue to do so through this moving tribute.

350 pages, ebook

First published February 14, 2011