TWO daughters have paid tribute to their inspirational mum who refused to give up fighting after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Only days after a spectacular fundraiser was held to raise money for mother-of-two, Nicola Marklove, from Backbarrow, she lost her long battle against the illness.
Now, her daughters Kristina, 25, and Eleanor Edwards, 21, are planning to honour their mum's legacy, donating thousands of pounds to the local groups that cared for Mrs Marklove during her illness.
Kristina said: "She suffered from ovarian cancer over the course of five years, going through various treatments. We got the prognosis at the end of last year that there were no more treatments that could be done, so we decided to raise money for alternative treatments."
When their mum died the Edwards sisters were in the process of researching treatments for cancer that were available outside the NHS.
In order to help pay they had set up a Kickstarter campaign, and last Wednesday hosted a lavish 'Fashion and Fizz' event with the help of Mrs Marklove's life-long friends.
The Ulverston fashion show has helped raise money for more than 20 years for charitable causes in Furness.
One of the organisers of the show, and family friend Victoria Cash said she was overwhelmed by the support received for this year's show.
She said: "This year Michelle [Scrogham, event organiser] and myself put to the organising committee to do the show for Nicola. Kristina worked with us and they are long-standing family friends.
"We were overwhelmed with the support from local businesses. It was overwhelming, to be honest, the response from the community."
The Fashion and Fizz show was held at the Swan Hotel at Newby Bridge. Even though it was arranged quickly, there was a fantastic turnout, with more than 120 guests in attendance.
A fashion show, live singing, pampering sessions, a raffle and auction hosted by Shaun Smith, resident DJ at Ulverston's Sun Inn, were all laid on to entertain guests and raise money.
A total of £3,000 was raised, going towards Mrs Marklove's fund.
Kristina said her mum never wanted to know when her time would be up, so determined was she to beat the disease.
However, her illness had worsened over the past two months, and she was not able to attend the fashion show.
On the Thursday, she and her family were told by Macmillan nurses that her time was running out, and she would pass away in the coming days.
Kristina said: "On Thursday the nurses told us she only had a few days left, we stayed by her side at home.
On Sunday morning, Mrs Marklove passed away surrounded by her family, aged only 49 years old.
Her eldest daughter described the hole that will be left in Backbarrow where she lived, and Ulverston, where she grew up.
She said: "She was friendly with everybody, she touched the lives of everyone that she knew, that's why we've been so overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of people.
"She was such an inspirational woman, nobody new how poorly she was and what she was struggling with, she always put a smile on her face."
The Edwards sisters also paid tribute to the incredible work of the nurses and staff from Ulverston's St Mary's Hospice and Macmillan who took care of their mum.
They added: "They were so caring, all the nurses who visited the house were so friendly, it's what we needed at the time."
The funeral of Mrs Marklove is expected to take place next week. A notice will soon be published in the Evening Mail's family notices section.
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