A young mum has tragically died six weeks after receiving a stage four cancer diagnosis.
Ella Troup, from Melbourne, Australia, tragically died during an operation to treat the disease, leaving behind her husband Ben and their two young children, Leo, three, and Ollie, one.
Her family now sadly faces their first Christmas without their mum.
Her friends, family and colleagues from the indoor and outdoor furniture brand GlobeWest, where she worked as a product manager, have rallied together to raise money for the bereaved family.
Taking to GoFundMe with the goal of raising AU $150,000 (£83,000) for Ella’s family, her friends Jordan MacLeod and Krystal Cameron explained how ‘very few people’ realised that Ella was battling cancer.
They wrote: “Very few people knew that Ella had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer just six weeks ago.
“She had a hard fight to find the primary source when she unexpectedly lost the battle during a procedure.
“We want to provide Ben and her boys with as much support as we can and this is one way we are able to.
“If you can give, no matter how big or small, it will help contribute towards keeping the boys going while they grieve.”
On Monday, her husband of four years took to social media to share a slow-motion video of Ella running towards the sea while ‘Just Like Heaven’ by The Lumineers played in the background.
So far, Ella’s friends and family have raised just over AU $130,000 (£72,000) for the family’s fundraiser, which included a generous AU $30,000 (£16,000) donation from Ella’s former employer.
One of the family’s local coffee shops, Down The Street, penned a tribute on Facebook to Ella, writing: “Last week we received the devastating news that our beautiful customer Ella passed away.
“Ella, Ben and their little boys have been a part of our community for years, and we are heartbroken for her family and friends.”
Another friend of Ella’s shared the fundraising page on their social media, saying: “This beautiful family was torn apart by cancer a few days ago when our beautiful friend Ella lost her battle.
“She has left these two little boys without a mom and a loving husband without a wife. Heartbroken doesn’t quite describe the pain.”
One of the comments on the fundraising page described the young mum-of-two as ‘sunshine personified’.
“Although it’s decades since we’ve known each other, it’s been a joy to follow your journey from afar. Your family is all the more strong, because of you.”
You can donate to Ella's GoFundMe here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week
Gabriella Ferlita