FOR little Liorah McCarthy every Christmas is particularly special because, when she was born, doctors didn’t even expect her to see her first festive season.

But the brave seven-year-old from Blaenavon, who suffered two major strokes shortly after birth, has defied medical expectations and, despite being unable to walk or talk, has enjoyed many precious moments with her family, thanks to the support of Ty Hafan, the family hospice for young lives.

Liorah and her mum Tegan have now been chosen to lead Ty Hafan’s Christmas Precious Moments appeal which aims to raise funds to create many more such memories for children with life-limiting conditions, by providing emotional and practical support for the youngsters and their families.

Since it was set up 15 years ago, Ty Hafan has helped the families of more than 600 such children across Wales and the number is to growing steadily.

A letter from Tegan is going out to tens of thousands of homes across South, West and Mid Wales this week explaining how the support and facilities at Ty Hafan, in Glamorgan, give Liorah precious experiences the family never thought she could enjoy.

She said: “When we were first introduced to Ty Hafan, we were all blown away by the support they could offer us. Liorah simply loves it there. “She can’t walk or talk but she’s very determined and knows what she likes. At Ty Hafan, her face lights up with her beautiful smile.”

Tegan is calling on the public to contribute towards creating more of those special moments for children, especially at Christmas.

Ty Hafan also wants people to talk about their own ‘precious moments’ through social media in the run-up to the Christmas season.

Jenna Lewis, head of individual giving, at Ty Hafan, said: “Life is all about those precious moments so we want people to think about their own most special memories and share them online.”

“The support that Ty Hafan provides extends further than our hospice and is delivered in the family home, at hospital and in schools across Wales.”

It costs £3.7 million a year to provide the charity’s state-of-the art facilities at Sully and its support services to families out in the community.

For details visit tyhafan.org/precious

Share your own precious moments by sending a tweet to @tyhafan with the #preciousmoments hashtag.