In the midst of life’s challenges, stories of love and resilience often shine brightest. Clare Mauremootoo’s journey is one of such remarkable strength and selflessness. Despite facing a debilitating illness, she focused on ensuring the well-being of her family, especially the well-being of her beloved husband, John, and their two boys.
Her unwavering determination to find John a new partner who would value their family reflected her deep love and concern for their future. Clare’s final months at Somerset’s Weston Hospice, where she organized a date for John, showed her immense courage and generosity of spirit. Her desire for John to find happiness and companionship after her death is a testament to her selflessness and love that transcends physical boundaries.
For the past few months, the 39-year-old mother of two has been looking for a new husband who would respect her and her boys.
In 2006, Clare Mauremootoo was diagnosed with motor neuronopathy, a condition that causes muscle weakness.
The degenerative disease affects a person’s ability to walk, talk, swallow, and breathe. There is currently no known cure for it. The thought of Clare’s husband of 11 years, John, and their two boys, Ben and Jack, walking away was devastating.
She spent the last two months at Somerset’s Weston Hospice, where she even set John up on dates with nurses, all in an attempt to find him a new love.
John, 52, wanted her to be well enough to come home, but Clare urged him to prepare for life without her. She wished he would find another lady to live with, one who would help him raise his two sons.
“She promised to help me find love,” he continued. She even started talking to hospice representatives to try to set up a time for us.
But I wasn’t ready. Clare wanted me to be, even though I wasn’t sure I ever would be.”
She spent the last two months at Somerset’s Weston Hospice, where she even set John up on dates with nurses, all in an attempt to find him a new love.
John, 52, wanted her to be well enough to come home, but Clare urged him to prepare for life without her. She wished he would find another lady to live with, one who would help him raise his two sons.
“She promised to help me find love,” he continued. She even started communicating with the hospice staff trying to set up a time for us.
But I wasn’t ready. Clare wanted me to be, even though I wasn’t sure I ever would be.”
John and Clare met in 1993 through mutual friends and married two years later. John had never considered dating again, so he was taken aback when Clare begged him to rekindle their relationship.
According to him, she often said, “It doesn’t matter how you meet someone.” She even recommended several of our friends!
“Everything seemed to be moving too fast,”
Clare and John decided that their sons would not see their mother again on February 11, as her health had deteriorated over time.
Clare spent her last Valentine’s Day with John on February 19, 2007. She died four days later.
“Clare died in my arms,” John remarked. I expressed my love to her and assured her that I would take good care of the boys so she need not worry.’
“I tried to carry on as usual, getting the boys ready for school and making them dinner, but I couldn’t help but feel that Clare was watching us.
“Although I never forgot her request to meet someone new, I didn’t want the boys to believe I was taking it for their mother.
However, once the boys went to bed, I was left alone. I missed Clare and longed for her company. So I created an account on a dating site in May.”
That’s how he met Julia Macfarlane, a nurse who had recently separated from her husband and had two children, John, who was 10 at the time, and Isobel, who was six (see photo of John with his sons below).
“When the moment was right, I told Jack and Ben that I was dating Julia. “They were horrified at first, but over the next six months they warmed to her and her children.”
In March 2008, the two families moved in together and John and Julie married in April of that year. Their three children were best men and Isobel was maid of honor.
John said: “I spoke about Clare’s diagnosis, our time together and her wish for me to find someone special.”
“Clare wanted us to be happy and I think she would be now with things going the way they are so I told everyone I imagined her smiling at us.
Clare Mauremootoo’s story is a poignant reminder of love, loss, and resilience. Her determination to ensure her family’s well-being even in her final moments reflects the depth of her love and selflessness. Through her actions, Clare showed that love transcends physical boundaries and that finding happiness for her loved ones was her ultimate wish. John’s journey, from heartbreak to finding love again with Julia, is a testament to the enduring power of love and the healing that can come from embracing new beginnings while holding on to memories. Clare’s legacy lives on in the love and joy shared by John, Julie, and their blended family, a beautiful tribute to her spirit and enduring love.