My 15-YEAR-OLD daughter Lauren died on October 23, 2010, less than two days after she went into hospital (says Grant Currie).

It feels like yesterday. It still catches me by surprise when I realise Lauren's friends have grown up, left school, got jobs.

Lauren had a persistent cough and my wife Adrienne had taken her to the GP three times that week. On the third visit, he referred Lauren to Ear, Nose and Throat and we turned up expecting a routine appointment, perhaps some tests and hopefully answers. Instead, within a short time of arriving, Lauren was sent to intensive care. The next morning, we were told she had a 50 per cent chance of survival. By the Saturday it was 10 per cent.

There are very few worse things in life than being told your daughter, the centre and light of your life, is going to die. Harder still is having to face her inquisitive eyes just minutes later, and appear confident and reassuring, as you try to cram a lifetime of love into a few short moments.

We decided not to tell Lauren she was dying. We told her she had pneumonia. She wondered why doctors kept checking her monitor, talking of blood oxygen levels, and asked what they were. We made up numbers, told her anything, and she tried, bravely and uncomplainingly, to fight her way back to health.

We didn't know our daughter had died of vasculitis, a disease which attacks the blood vessels, until we read her death certificate. In the days that followed Lauren's death, Adrienne and I searched for answers on the internet and we were shocked to discover that vasculitis is not a terminal illness. Our beautiful daughter need not have died had her individual symptoms of rhinitis, frequent bouts of tonsillitis, joint pain and lethargy been pieced together. The problem with vasculitis is there are so many different strains, and symptoms are so varied, it is often difficult to spot until it is too late. There was so little information available, we thought - we could make a difference.

We set up the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation two days after Lauren died. Since then we have raised awareness, and hundreds of thousands of pounds for research. We have set up support groups and raised issues at international conferences. Recently, we opened our first Twilight Cabin at Loch Awe, a place of respite for families dealing with vasculitis.

Crucially, there are now three Scottish vasculitis clinics in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen that provide the "joined-up thinking" that is so badly needed.

Working on the charity's projects has helped us get through the days and months since Lauren's death. We were a tight trio and Lauren's absence has left a hole that can never be filled. Lauren was beautiful, bubbly, funny and clever, and her infectious giggle still rings in our ears. Without her laughter around us, the silence is deafening.

The Twilight in the Park 5k walk and outdoor cinema event is in Pollok Country Park, Glasgow, on June 13. Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for children. Visit thelaurencurrietwilightfoundation.org or call 0845 600 5855 for tickets and information.

ann fotheringham