A mum has paid a heartbreaking tribute to her 'angel' teenage daughter who died after her excessive tiredness turned out to be a catastrophic brain tumour.
Karen Kinsella said she misses her daughter Emily Kinsella so much 'it physically hurts' following her tragic passing at home surrounded by devastated family members on June 25.
Emily, 16, from Hyde, Tameside, was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2021 after her parents took her to A&E, having noticed her face had dropped on one side.
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There had been no other signs that Emily had been unwell, other than Karen, and her husband Rob, noticing she would often fall asleep when she was supposed to be doing school work.
Emily, who was just 14 at the time, was immediately transferred to Manchester Children's Hospital and underwent surgery to remove a section of the tumour. The family were told Emily's tumour was 'treatable' but not 'curable' and she was referred to the Christie Hospital in south Manchester for six weeks of radiotherapy.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News previously, Karen said her 'warrior' daughter was the only person in Manchester to finish the course of chemotherapy. "Most children's bodies couldn't tolerate it for more than six months," she said. "She didn't moan once."
Her tumour was stabilised for a while but tragedy struck again last Christmas after doctors revealed the original tumour had returned and a secondary tumour had appeared at the brains stem - making it inoperable.
Emily's family, which includes her older brother Niall, hoped that a new trial drug available in France and the US might give them some more precious time with their daughter. But sadly her condition deteriorated.
Karen says she is determined to keep her daughter's memory alive, and says she wants to remember all the happy and funny times - rather than the pain that came with her cancer.
"Yes, cancer has taken Emily from us but that's it now, she's pain and worry free, she's no longer paralysed," Karen said in a eulogy which she shared with the M.E.N.
"It's taken her from us but it can never take our memories of her, they are ours forever."
Karen said even towards the end of her life, Emily was the one keeping her family and visiting nurses entertained. "From day one she was the warrior," she said. "She helped us through so many challenges."
Emily, who had to stop attending school last year due to her illness, was a talented artist and was even shortlisted as BBC young artist of the year, and had been called in for casting.
"She tolerated secondary school but her love for art and anything arty was a passion and we feel she was naturally gifted. She was always carrying a sketch book," Karen said.
"We were so proud that she was shortlisted for BBC young artist of the year and the BBC were devastated when they found out she couldn't proceed with the programme.
"She was always very very loving, as soon as she could write I would have post it notes left all over the house, even on the toilet roll, saying she loved me and I was her angel.
"She chose to have few friends, never one to be part of a crowd, but once she was your friend she was loyal, loving, caring and fiercely protective and had some lovely long standing childhood friendships."
Karen described her daughter as a 'daddy's girl' and said they used to watch an array of programmes together, including Black Adder, Fawlty Towers, Robot Wars, Top Gear, Clarkson's Farm, and they took it in turns to choose films for movie night.
"She was a proper film buff," Karen said. "She watched Back to the Future so many times, she knew every line in every film. She was a Stranger Things addict from the very first episode.
"A few weeks ago we sat cuddled up together on her hospital bed in the lounge and watched a lovely film 'When Marnie was There', we sobbed buckets together, a memory forever in my heart. And it will now and always will be my favourite film."
Even towards the end of her life, when she was confined to her bed, Emily was determined to help others. She had set her sights on becoming an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Karen says her family will now continue on her quest and will help other families enduring the pain of what they have been through.
"We’ve loved her, we’ve had her at her best, nursed her through her worst, all with HER help," Karen said. "I will be honest going on without her is the hardest thing we'll ever have to do in our entire life.
"We miss her so much it physically hurts. We can give her all the titles we want but that warrior princess is still our baby girl and she’s gone. We pray she’s at peace, we pray she is happy and pray we see her again soon."
