Tragedy as 'truly wonderful' mum-of-two, 31, dies with family by her side after leukaemia battle

A 'truly wonderful and loving' mum-of-two has tragically died aged 31 after a gruelling battle with leukaemia. Devon Leigh passed away on June 4 surrounded by her family after battling the rare blood cancer and complications from stem cell donations.

She had been first diagnosed with PH+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in February of 2022, aged just 29. She had attended a GP appointment in the morning, before then being immediately admitted to hospital for blood tests at Tameside hospital.

The diagnosis left her family in 'shock', as she was then taken straight to the Christie hospital for immediate targeted chemotherapy.

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It was then revealed that Devon, mother to Olivia, seven and Daisy, four, had a rare PH variant of the illness, and that she required a stem cell transplant. After a number of failed donor attempts, a match was then found and the transplant took place in late September 2022.

Her partner John Mawdesley said Devon, who worked at the Sunflower Children's Centre nursery in Hyde, was 'very poorly' for months afterwards and was not allowed visitors due to her weakened immune system. They could only speak to one another through Facetime video calls.

John said: "We were apart from each other for the first month, with only FaceTime available to see or speak to the girls myself and the family. After six weeks, Devon returned home very weak and poorly but her leukaemia had gone, so we all rallied around her and, slowly but surely, she returned to herself.

"Even whilst suffering with Graft vs Host disease and being backwards and forwards to the Christie every couple of days for light therapy, she was slowly