The Story of Rosie's Rainbow

How one little girl's dream brought music, joy and control to thousands of children staying in hospital

- MEGHAN MCCORMACK 

When Carolyn Mayling lost her 11-year-old daughter Rosie in 2003 to a rare illness, she and her entire family's world was rocked to its core.

In the years following, Carolyn and her family summoned all of their strength, determination and love for Rosie to create a foundation in her memory. The aim was to help sick and disabled children and their families, born from an idea Rosie had while in hospital.

"Rosie was witty and cheeky," remembers Carolyn. "She didn't suffer fools gladly. She had a strong sense of justice and really fought other people's corners if she thought something wasn't fair."

Carolyn and her family run the Redroofs School for the Performing Arts in Maidenhead, where Rosie and her sister Ellie were also pupils. From a young age Rosie showed great talent, even writing a musical when she was ten to raise money for a family friend's daughter who needed a new wheelchair.

This creativity and kindness never left Rosie, even as she endured long stays at John Radcliffe's Children's Hospital in Oxford as a result of being diagnosed with vasculitis, a rare and devastating illness affecting the blood vessels.