Tributes have been paid to an "always smiling" 16-year-old girl who died 'after contracting Strep A'. Amy Gadomski passed away on January 5 after suffering two cardiac arrests.
The teenager's family have told how the youngster - a loyal Newcastle United fan - was always smiling, always happy, and always there for anyone who needed help. Now they are appealing to fellow Newcastle fans to pay tribute to her at their Premier League game on Sunday.
Her aunt Rachael Gadomski is asking supporters to clap in her memory in the 16th minute of the match when they take on Fulham, reports Chronicle Live. She said: "We're all absolutely heartbroken.
"Why a 16-year old girl? Why did this happen? I want to raise awareness of Strep A. I want to raise awareness of Sepsis.
"I just want to basically tell everyone hug your kids that little bit tighter. It's surreal, we can't understand why it's happened and we're still waiting for answers."
Amy, who was studying for her GCSEs, was a season ticket holder and the club "meant everything" to her. She had a cardiac arrest on Wednesday January 4 and was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
She was later transferred to the Freeman Hospital where she sadly died the following day. Amy's family was told that this and a second cardiac arrest were a possible result of Strep A or sepsis but the cause of her death remains unclear.
Her parents Wasana and Michael are devastated at losing their only child. Rachael hopes that Amy gets the send off she deserves from 52,000 of her fellow Newcastle United fans at St James' Park on Sunday, adding: "She loved the atmosphere, she loved the laughs, and she loved the special memories she made with her friends."
Amy loved Miguel Almiron, she even met the Paraguayan and had a photograph with him. However, her favourite player was Dan Burn, who scored his first goal in the Carabao Cup semi final against Leicester City on Tuesday night.
Rachael said: "Surely that's a sign. I said to my partner, wow, Dan Burn's scored, that's got to be for Amy."
Her campaign to have Amy remembered in the stadium is gathering force, being shared far and wide on Twitter and Facebook. She has even contacted the club which is planning a tribute to Amy in the next Premier League home game against West Ham on February 4.
But that won't be soon enough for Amy's Auntie Joy who has travelled from San Diego to say goodbye to her niece. Rachel said: "We want the tribute to be there when all the family can see it, rather than through Facebook or in the programme."
And she thanked the fans who are sharing the message, saying: "I can't thank everybody enough who has supported us, that has shared tweets, messages on Facebook, I know Amy would be over the moon. Never in a million years did I think we could get the amount of shares and retweets, Facebook is going mad.
"We've been in tears all day. We just know that she would be so honoured and proud to get some kind of clap done at St. James' Park."
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea
