Maria was a Doctor and Professor at Great Ormond Street Hospital.  It was only after the public outpouring of grief following her accident, letters from patients and commendations from colleagues that we really understood how much she did for other people and what she did to develop cures for rare and life changing genetic diseases. She left a legacy that cannot be matched, but it is incredibly important to us to continue this as best we can. 

Maria was a true advocate for children and their families suffering from genetic diseases (she had a particular focus on Norrie Disease and Usher Syndrome). Her focus was on treating and finding cures for children with hearing and sight loss. She helped to set up the Norrie Disease Foundation, she was a leader in the 100,000 Genomes Project and was in the process of carrying out research that she hoped would one day restore vision. Maria also did a lot to bring together families, researchers and physicians in the field.  

Aside from the immense loss of a wife, mother and daughter, we cannot help but think that this has also been a loss to the families and children she helped, and had the potential to help in the future. 

We are raising money so that we can continue to give life to her work and research. We understand that we are finally rounding the corner towards doing something about these rare genetic diseases. This page is part of a broader campaign to raise money in Maria's memory - this could range from buying new hospital equipment, funding fellowships and further research, providing support to affected families, and everything in between. Thank you for all donations.