My RAINBOW BABY at 54

After the devastating loss of her daughter, Carolyn Mayling was sent a ray of light

- FRANCESCA WOODSTOCK

Son Dominic brought Carolyn renewed hope

Watching my daughter up on stage, my heart swelled with pride. At just 10 years old, Rosie had written, produced W and starred in her very own musical, Forever and a Day, along with her sister Ellie, then 13, and two of their best friends. Rosie was a star in the making, and, for her, the sky was the limit. But within eight months, my beautiful, talented daughter was gone, and I knew that without Rosie, life would never be the same.

I'd always loved the theatre. My own mother, June, had founded a school for the performing arts in 1947, now called Redroofs, and as an adult, I too became passionate about coaching young performers. So when my daughter Ellie was born in 1988, followed by Rosie in 1991, it was no surprise that they shared my love of the arts.

As they grew up, Ellie loved ballet, dancing gracefully in her pink tutu, while Rosie was always so full of colour. She loved wearing stripes and rainbows, and standing out from the crowd.

Rosie with her sister Ellie

After putting on her own show in September 2002, Rosie was looking forward to appearing in Puss in Boots, the pantomime at the Novello Theatre in Ascot that Christmas.

But, in December 2002, as the frosty weather settled in, Rosie developed a cough that wouldn't clear up. The GP prescribed antibiotics for a chest infection, but the cough got worse and she became short of breath. Rosie was given an inhaler, but it did little to help, and by Christmas, she was too unwell to perform in the pantomime. Utterly devastated, Son Dominic brought Carolyn renewed hope she watched from the side of the stage as an never understudy took her part. me' In February 2003, Rosie was still no better, so she was referred to a consultant who agreed to perform a CT scan, and within 20 minutes, Rosie was blue-lighted to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.