A nine-year-old girl was given a responsibility that probably not any other girls her age would have been given.
She became the sole carer for her mum, who has Multiple Sclerosis, after her father tragically passed away.
Jamie-Marie Genito was only two years old when her father passed away. Now, she helps care for her mother, Helen Genito, who was diagnosed with MS shortly after Jamie-Marie was born. Helen had her first attack when her daughter was only eight weeks old.
Yet, just like any other nine-year-old, Jamie-Marie still goes to school, has a group of friends and likes to play with her toys. But when she goes home, she helps around the house, washing dishes and folding clothes, telling Daily Mail Australia that she picks up her clothes “so mum doesn’t trip over them.”
Although thankful for her daughter’s help, Helen says she just wants Jamie-Marie to have options and grow up not feeling like she missed her childhood. “It’s a big weight on her shoulders…I’ve told her, finish year 12 and you can do anything you want. Whatever you decide then,” she said.
Jamie-Marie also admitted that being a carer can be diffidult for her sometimes. “Being a carer it puts a lot of responsibility on you, knowing that there’s nothing to fall back on,” she said.
Seeing her mother in her condition everyday had such as impact on Jamie-Marie that she vowed to do something to help other sufferers, too.
“When I grow up I want to maybe be a teacher, teaching people about MS. Or possibly being a doctor to make make mum better,” she said.
Now, Jamie-Marie is starting to embark on that journey as she participates in the MS Walk and Fun Run, which raises money for research into MS.
“My mum means my whole life to me, without her I wouldn’t be myself. If we raise enough money there’ll be a treatment and I want mum to get better,” she said.
Helen also says that she wants to raise awareness of what can be an invisible disease, and ‘live life in the best way possible’.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk
