Katie had been living with cancer in her duodenum and stomach, suspected during her pregnancy and confirmed after Arabella was born. After an operation her mum, Sophie, moved into their home in Harwich to look after them both, but was soon diagnosed herself with breast cancer. The pair had chemotherapy at the same time, and while Sophie made a recovery after follow up radiotherapy, Katie developed secondaries despite further treatment and died a month after her 30th birthday earlier this year.

Sitting in the hospice holding hands with her own mum and Katie's nan, Sandra Shipp, who was diagnosed with lung cancer last summer, Sophie shares how St Helena, SinglePoint and Ross, a rapid response clinical nurse specialist and non-medical prescriber, has supported her family.

Ross phoned and checked in with us and it was just lovely that St Helena looked after us as a family. It wasn't just Katie, it was always 'and how are you doing?' It was a very positive experience at a very sad time.

So we've got little Arabella. She'll be 4 in August, so from grandparents to parenting. A bit of a transition! She's coped really well, oh to be 3 and half! She's doing alright.

Katie was an avid Facebook poster about being a single mum and the struggles with that and she made people aware of what she was going through, both with the cancer journey and with being a single mum, and having to go through treatment whilst being a single mum. She helped to make other people feel a bit normal if they were having a bit of a bad day or struggling with their toddlers and different things. She was always so positive. There was always a bright side and it was always yep, we can do this.

A lady called Isabella contacted Katie and said that she'd been following her on Facebook. They've never met, never spoken, and she said she'd already written a children's story and she would like to write one for Katie and Bella, would that be OK? Katie at that point hadn't really got an awful lot of strength, she was starting to fade a little bit, so she just said to go through her Facebook, everything was there because she posted pretty much everything, and if Izzy had any questions then just to ask.  

So she wrote a story and her sister-in-law Teodora did the illustrations and they said that the profits are all for Arabella, for her future, which is so kind.

Katie did as much as she could for as long as she could, and she got quite a few things checked off her bucket list. She organised her own funeral, she chose her music. She wanted everybody to glam up because she loved a good party, she loved getting dressed up and getting her face on. 

She wanted us all to come out to On Top Of The World by Imagine Dragons because it's a happy, upbeat song. It wasn't a wake, it was an after party. So for us to all then go to the after party, she wanted us all to be in high spirits, in a good mood having left on a happy song.

My youngest daughter, Georgia, is auctioning men from her workplace this week in aid of St Helena. And then her and her friend and the owner of the pub are all shaving their heads in May, and they've got entertainment and raffles, and that's all going to St Helena as well. 

They're trying to raise as much as they can because in a very, very difficult time, St Helena made things so much easier and the peace of mind that they give you and the fact that they actually listen. It was just so nice for somebody to actually hear Katie and what she wanted. 

She died at home on her own terms and with such dignity and respect, and it was just amazing. Absolutely amazing. She had care at home, and that's where she wanted to be and that's where she passed. And Mum wanted to go into the hospice to make things easier for us so that we haven't got to be over there worrying and staying with her to make sure that she's got somebody there with her all the time. 

St Helena has just made things much easier and much more manageable for our family.  

This story may not be published elsewhere without express permission from St Helena Hospice.