No Time To Die looks at paediatric palliative care through the eyes of four families, offering a rare insight into the realities of life caring for a dying child. In this special, one-off documentary, we glimpse the dignity and courage of families as they make the most of short and precious lives, where milestones are measured in days rather than in years.
Over six-months we get to know the families of LauraLynn House, Ireland’s only paediatric hospice and the families who care for their children in hospital and community settings. We build powerful, intimate portrayals of families who have made LauraLynn a home away from home and those who care for their children in hospital at home. We meet a family who are caring for their child with the support of Crumlin Hospital’s Transitional Care Unit and another family who are reliant on support from community nurses and the Jack and Jill Foundation. We see the daily struggles as parents become round the clock caregivers, administering medications while trying to maintain a quality of life for their child.
Two of the young children (in No Time To Die) have inoperable cardiac conditions, while another has Lissencephaly, a condition that causes abnormal development in the brain. Our fourth featured family are Brian and Sharon Thompson from Donegal, who lost their little baby girl Victoria at nine-months-old to a rare degenerative genetic condition.
The documentary offers a profound exploration of a very difficult and emotive subject. Children are not supposed to die. That is not the natural order of things. Parents should not outlive their children. However, there are approximately 1, 400 children living with a life limiting condition in Ireland at any one time and in the region of 350 childhood deaths occur every year from these conditions.
This film is a moving and evocative portrait of lives lived out against the backdrop of palliative care home visits, of bustling hospital corridors and wards, of night shifts, of consultations, of quiet family moments and the inexorable sound of the ticking clock. Ultimately, No Time To Die is a reflection on life, love and loss.
No Time To Die is produced for RTÉ by Motive Television. The documentary is directed by award-winner Garry Keane, produced by Jamie D’Alton and edited by Paul Giles. DOP for the production is Michael O’Donovan, associate producer is Mairead Tucker and Anne McLoughlin is executive producer.