Family of Sheffield mum-of-two who died after brain haemmorhage start campaign to cover funeral costs

The 35-year-old mother-of-two reported to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital with severe headaches, dizziness and nausea.

The doctors suspected meningitis, but the next day she suffered a brain haemmorhage from which she never recovered.

Her life support system was turned off on Sunday and she died shortly afterwards.

Alice had suffered with health problems for most of her life - having been diagnosed with the rare Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome when she was a teenager - but her death still came as a massive shock.

'It was very, very unexpected,' said Alice's sister-in-law, Michelle Birch.

'She was one of those people who would always say hello and always had a smile on her face.

'We all thought that within a couple of days she would be out again with her girls.'

Alice and her partner Michael Birch had been together almost 20 years, and lived in Woodthorpe with their two daughters, 10-year-old Melanie and six-year-old Megan.

'Michael now has to think about when and how he is going to go back to work and what he is going to do with the girls,' said Michelle.

'And her mum Wendy only lost her husband to cancer a couple of years ago.

'When I spoke to her she said she had lost '˜her rock'.'

Because Alice was so young, and her death was so sudden and unexpected, the family have found themselves struggling to pay her funeral costs.

An online fundraising page, set up by her close friend Angela Freeman, has so far raised £675, but they need £3,300 if they are to cover the costs of even a basic funeral.

But as well as raising money for the funeral, the fundraising effort is about raising awareness of how Alice died.

'We need to make people aware no matter what age or how healthy they are, if people get severe headaches or dizziness to make sure they go to the doctors.

'This is what the family want - for it never to happen to anyone again.'

Alice's funeral will take place on Monday, October 22.

To contribute to the fundraising effort, visit www.gofundme.com/alices-funeralsend-off.