An overwhelming number of kind strangers have rallied around a grieving Ayrshire family to help them bury their beloved mum who died, on Christmas eve, after Strep A symptoms were thought to be a bout of flu.
Tragic Carolyn Butcher died from multiple organ failure, presumed invasive group a streptococcal disease (Strep A), and variceal hemorrhage.
A total of £1,435 has been donated to the family's online fundraiser to help cover expenses to bury the Irvine mum of five.
Devastated daughter Samantha was overwhelmed by the kindness of the 79 donors who dug deep to ease the family's worries.
She said: "The family wants to say thank you to all of those who have donated.
"Thank you doesn’t seem like a big enough way to express how much we all appreciate their generosity.
"There were maybe two or three names we recognised but most of the donations were given by strangers; one person donated £250.
"We never imagined how big the response would be and it just shows there are so many more nice and genuine people out there than there are internet trolls."
Samantha is now finally able to lay her mum to rest after Carolyn's death certificate was recalled by doctors before the new year.
Carolyn Butcher suffered three cardiac arrests on the last day of her life and her daughter stands firm her mum may have stood a better chance against the infection if she was admitted to the hospital earlier.
She added: "We had only been in the hospital for maybe an hour when mum had a third cardiac arrest and she died. It was so quick.
"They had her on the strongest antibiotics but the Strep A just took hold of her body.
"I believe if she had been taken in earlier she would have had a better chance, that extra time could've meant the antibiotics had a better chance to work - it could've meant the difference between life and death."
Carolyn's funeral will be held on Tuesday, January 17 at 10am in the Coop funeral parlour on Quarry road, Irvine, then onto Knadgerhill cemetery at 10:45.
Carolyn will be buried in a white coffin to match the one, Maya, her stillborn daughter was laid to rest in 2015.
The funeral will be followed by tea at the Orange Hall in Irvine town.
To donate to Carolyn's funeral fundraiser click here.
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