Dying mum writes 'milestone' letters for daughter to open after she's gone

A terminally ill mum has revealed the heart-wrenching letters she's writing to her one-year-old daughter to read after she dies.
 
Sophie George, of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was told she only has 18 months to live after being diagnosed with a stage four brain tumour in February.
 
The devastated 27-year-old said the hardest thing is knowing she won't be around for her daughter Marcie Godfrey.
 
The mum-of-one is writing letters for the day Marcie starts school, her first heartbreak, when she gets married and every birthday – and Sophie hopes that the letters will bring comfort to her daughter during key moments in her life.
 
In one letter Sophie writes:

“My darling Marcie. Today is your first day of big school and even though Mummy isn’t there to hold your hand or kiss you goodbye as you go in to your class, I will be watching over you and keeping you safe.
 
“There is a tissue in your school bag that daddy has sprayed with Mummy’s smell so if you get scared just give it a smell to remind you of Mummy and that everything will be okay.
 
“Some children might not be very nice to you and you might get sad by that but don’t worry, Mummy will always love you very much. Whenever you feel sad give your ‘mummy’ teddies hand a squeeze to hear my voice.”
 
Sophie said: "I want to make memories and I want her to remember the times she had with her mum.
 
"It scares me every day that I won't be with her. I've started writing her little letters for her to open as she's growing up.
 
"I've written one for when she has her first day at school, for when she has her first period and first heartbreak and for when she gets married and has her first baby.
 
“I'm writing cards for every birthday. I'm telling her that I’ll always be watching over her and keeping her safe.
 
"They will be for those times when she needs her mum and so that she's got something of me to keep my memory alive.
 
"They're for those moments when she would maybe be talking to her mum.
 
"Marcie is my life. She’s an energetic ball of fun who makes people laugh with her funny cheeky character.”
 
The full-time mum and Marcie’s dad, Jay Godfrey, 28, have been together for four and half years after meeting on Facebook.
 
The couple are also planning their dream wedding, as Sophie decided to propose to builder Jay the day after her devastating diagnosis.
 
Sophie said: "I want to make the best of the time I've got left with Marcie and Jay so we're getting married in September.
 
"We'd spoken about marriage before but we weren't engaged. I thought 'we've got to do it'. It seemed right. I want us to be husband and wife.
 
"The day after I got my diagnosis I said we'll get married this year."
 
The couple are to marry at The Warren Estate in Maldon, Essex, who have offered the venue for free while a local estate agent has paid for her wedding dress.
 
Sophie said: "It's taken a lot of the stress away. Everyone is coming together and the support we've had from people has been amazing.
 
"We're really looking forward to it. We've got a videographer to make sure that the whole day is captured and Marcie will be able to look back on it.
 
"It will mean everything to me to be married."