SHE is running to help the place where her daughter felt at home.

Lisa Leggett will proudly wear number one in the Naomi House 3km charity Rainbow Run in September.

Her efforts will be in memory of daughter Lacey, who died at the Hampshire hospice on Valentine’s Day this year of mitochondrial disease, a rare condition that causes muscle weakness and organ failure.

Lisa, 31, and husband Dominic want to ensure the two-yearold’s legacy lives on by raising money for good causes like the Winchester-based hospice.

She said: “We want to raise money for charities so other families can get similar help.”

The couple took Lacey to hospital for pneumonia when she was 11-months-old and Lisa said it was the beginning of a downward spiral for her daughter.

She said: “She was a really bright little girl; she could say her own name and the dog’s name at ten months old. But then she caught pneumonia at 11 months and we took her to hospital in Winchester.

“But then her lung collapsed and she was rushed to the intensive care unit at Southampton General.

“Her first birthday, Christmas and New Year were spent in hospital.

Then when we were able to took her home she was only here three weeks before we had to go back again and she was in for a further five weeks.

“We faced the difficult decision of whether to switch off her life support and no one knew what was wrong.”

Lacey lost the ability to eat properly and most of the movement in her arms but her admission to Naomi House was a ray of light according to Lisa.

Lisa, of Andover, said: “It was a downward spiral and it was not until the end of June 2013 that she was diagnosed.

That is when we got involved with Naomi House.

“Having cooked meals, fresh clothes and spending quality time with my child after months in hospital meant so much to us.

“Just sitting in a home-like environment is something people take for granted.

“The moment we told Lacey she was going to Naomi House she smiled. Being there taught us how to look after Lacey outside of hospital.

“We went from having a perfect baby to a very poorly baby and to have that support from the staff at Naomi House was wonderful. Had we not had that support we would have been crushed. It’s such a valuable service.

“It was a hard time for us as a family but it was a time we enjoyed being at Naomi House. It’s a happy place and an amazing place.”

After Lisa’s race efforts, dad Dominic, also 31, will be taking part in a charity skydive on September 14.

• To donate to Lisa and Dominic’s events, visit laceysfight.com/ fundraisingevents.