In this episode, we return to Milly’s story and the realityof life inside the hospital. Emma shares what it was like living day to day in a medical environment, where time blurs, new routines take shape, and small moments of normality with friends and family become everything.

We talk about the in-between stage that so many familiesexperience but few people see. The waiting, the uncertainty, and the quiet strength it takes to keep going. Alongside Milly’s journey, Emma reflects on the relationships that carried them through, from the bonds formed within the hospital to the support of loved ones on the outside.

There is hope in this chapter too. Making plans for goinghome, putting care in place, and holding onto the possibility of life beyond the hospital walls. But it is also a time marked by real challenges, including Milly losing the ability to make noise after her tracheostomy, and the emotional weight that came with it.

Emma speaks honestly about what it means to parent in a place that never feels like home, and how hard it still can be to support each other when you are both deep in grief. Now, 11 years on, she reflects on how that time of year, and those final days still feel vivid and close.