A devastated mum has described how she “screamed for help” when she found her daughter dead after she was diagnosed with a rare condition.
Danielle Marie Lewis, aged 20, was found by her devastated mother, Kirsten Lewis at their home in Plymouth.
Danielle was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, Gardner Syndrome, several years ago and had undergone surgery two years before to remove tumours in her breast and abdomen.
Kirsten explained that five of her six children all have been diagnosed with the condition, Plymouth Live reports.
On a fundraising page to pay for Danielle’s funeral heartbroken mum Kirsten wrote: "I walked into her room and knew she was gone.
"I screamed for help but I knew in my heart she was gone. I have never felt so much pain in my life. My beautiful baby girl was gone."
Gardner Syndrome is a form of familial adenomatous polyposis, which causes tumours to grow throughout the body.
Kirsten said: "My husband's a carrier, and so is his mum, and now he's passed it on to my children.
"It's that gene that causes desmoid tumours to grow. They can be sporadic, and they can grow any part of the body.
"My husband's mother has had extensive surgery all over for removing them. But she's 77, she's had a full life. But she's lived with the condition."
Devastated Kirsten revealed that Danielle was only two months away from being fully qualified to become a nursery assistant, “a job she loved and really enjoyed."
"She studied and worked so hard, that it breaks my heart she will never live to see herself in a job she loved and to have a future to look forward to.
"She was engaged to a really loving young man called Callum, who is devastated like we all are. Please help us as this was a massive shock to everyone we know and our family.
"Please help give her the send off she deserves."
Kirsten said that she was informed that Danielle had Covid-19 at the time of her death, but she does not believe that is Danielle's cause of death.
Kirsten said that for the last eight months, Danielle had suffered from sleep apnea, "which was really severe" and she would "fall asleep everywhere", including at work and on the bus.
Danielle was sent a referral on March 1 for a sleep study, but devastatingly died two days later.
Kirsten said: "As her death was so sudden and a massive shock to us, the money is for her funeral, she was the biggest Harry Potter fan and I want to make her send off special to show how special she was to us all.
"She was my beautiful baby, and even more beautiful woman.
"Please help us send her to heaven where she belongs."
