Christmas fundraiser for five children after outgoing Burgess Hill mum, 35, dies of cancer

Ellen Louise Francis, 35, died on October 12 this year after a short battle with breast cancer and brain cancer.

She was a full-time mum to five youngsters – Ellie, 17, Donna, 12, Aaron, 11, Romeo, eight, and Delilah, four – and a wife to Will Francis, 29.

Her sister Sylvie Wickens, 38, said: “The fundraiser is to give the children the best possible first Christmas without their mum. My sister loved Christmas. She’d start her Christmas shopping early and the kids never went without. If Ellen had to go without to buy them something she would.”

Sylvie, who has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair, said the funeral was expensive. “Me and my mum don’t work and everyone’s trying to help but we’re just struggling,” she said. She added that all funds raised would go towards presents for the kids or possibly towards a weekend holiday for them.

Ellen’s mother Louise ‘Lou’ Smith, 59, said Ellen’s death had been hard for everyone, particularly the younger children. Lou and Sylvie explained that Ellen was diagnosed with breast cancer in March this year. She started chemotherapy shortly afterwards and had a dream wedding to her husband.

Sylvie said: “Just before September we went on holiday to Selsey and she kept getting these headaches. She was also sleeping a lot and not wanting to do anything.”

On her return to hospital Ellen was too ill for chemotherapy and kept in for a month for MRI and CT scans. She then received the news that she had terminal brain cancer and died less than a week later.

“It was all so fast and unexpected, we thought we'd have more time,” said Sylvie.

Lou and Sylvie described Ellen as kind, outgoing and ‘everyone’s friend’.

“If there was party she would be the first up on the dancefloor,” said Sylvie. “If people were going out anywhere she would be the one taking pictures.”

Sylvie is now planning to get two tattoos in honour of her sister – one featuring wings and writing and another depicting two sisters side-by-side.

To donate to the fundraiser visit www.gofundme.com/f/a-special-christmas-for-ellens-five-children.