A heartbroken mum has paid tribute to her "lovely, fun-loving little girl" who has died suddenly at the age of 12.
Leah Robshaw passed away in hospital on January 16 following a suspected abscess on the brain.
It was a huge shock to the family who had been told she had an ear infection just weeks earlier.
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Today her mum, Claire Robshaw, paid tribute to her eldest daughter who loved making TikTok videos, doing her hair and make-up and spending time with her cousins.
Claire, from South Moor in Stanley, County Durham, said: "She always had a smile on her face. She was a bright girl and she was always willing to help anybody.
"My heart has been broken into a million pieces and I just can't believe it's happened. Nobody can believe that she's gone."
After giving birth to five sons, Claire said she was "over the moon" when she fell pregnant with Leah and discovered she would be having her first little girl.
She was adored by her bothers Liam, 26, Jordan, 24, Ryan, 23, Josh, 21 and Reece, 19.
And later became a role model to her two younger sisters, Amelia, six, and Lakisha, three, who also adored their older sister.
Claire, 41, added: "Amelia has been in tears and she's hardly eaten because it's starting to sink in with her what's happened.
"Lakisha keeps saying 'when's the doctor sending Leah back home?' They both loved her so much."
Approximately a week before Christmas, Leah started to complain that she felt unwell and was given antibiotics for a suspected ear infection.
But her illness continued to get worse and on New Year's Day she complained of having pains in her head, which was again believed to be an ear and throat infection and vertigo.
Claire said: "When we got her home all she would do is sleep. I had to feed her and give her drinks. She couldn't go to the toilet on her own and she couldn't walk.
"She deteriorated so much last Thursday that she couldn't even talk, it was all mumble. She couldn't get out of bed at all.
"When the paramedics came to take her to hospital her brother had to carry her down the stairs because she fell because she couldn't walk."
Claire added that Leah was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham last Thursday for a scan before being transferred to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.
She underwent eight hours of surgery and a further two operations, but Claire was informed that her daughter had also suffered a stroke and that her body was shutting down due as infection was taking over her body.
Leah was placed on life-support and on January 16 her family made the difficult decision to let Leah pass away peacefully.
Following Leah's passing, friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe page in her memory to help raise money for her funeral.
Claire is hoping to give her a send-off fit for a princess, with a horse and carriage and bright pink T-shirts for loved ones with Leah's photo printed on them.
Tributes have been pouring in for Leah, with many people taking to the fundraising page to pay their respects to the schoolgirl who attended North Durham Academy in Stanley.
One person wrote: "Leah was such a delightful young girl had such a beautiful heart sweet dreams princess x"
Another said: "I remember Leah fondly as a pupil at Greenland Primary. Deepest condolences to her family and friends."
Anyone wishing to donate to the fundraiser in memory of Leah can do so my following this link.
