Meet
Jane &
Jeremy
Jane and Jeremy met in their twenties whilst working at the same school. What began as shared work soon became a shared life: falling in love, getting married and dreaming of starting a family. After enduring years of painful, expensive and emotionally wrenching IVF treatments – including some that posed serious risks to Jane’s health – they made the decision to adopt.
After a rigorous and searching assessment process, they were matched with baby Lizzie when she was just five months old. From the moment they met her, they were utterly smitten. Lizzie wasn’t their adopted daughter – she was simply their daughter.
As Lizzie grew, her additional needs and cognitive challenges became clearer. Jane, with tireless resolve, fought to ensure Lizzie received the formal support she was entitled to, especially the vital and often-contested Educational Health & Care Plan (EHCP). Jane’s determination to advocate for Lizzie in the face of bureaucratic indifference was fierce and unwavering. Parenting a child with complex needs demands extraordinary energy, especially in a system where support can be easily diluted, denied or removed. Jane poured everything into giving Lizzie the best chance at independence and dignity.
Jeremy’s role was less focused on the daily logistics, due to work, but he remained present and engaged. Lizzie and Jeremy shared a bond full of laughter, creativity and spontaneity. As a family, the three of them were tightly knit – enjoying walks, stories, films, chores and everyday conversations.
They are ordinary, law-abiding people: honest, hardworking and thoughtful; mowing the lawn, paying their taxes, going to church and trying to help others when they can. They raised Lizzie in an atmosphere of faith, hope and love.
Their world shattered when, the day after her eighteenth birthday, Lizzie was unexpectedly ripped from their lives.