'MUM IS AN ANGEL IN HEAVEN NOW'

Taylor Hoey (12) and his brother Josh (9), poignantly joined other children to collect flowers in St Matthew's Parish Church, Scarva, which, a day earlier, had been packed to capacity for the funeral service of their beloved mother, Diane Hoey (37).

"The boys collected the flowers and later laid them on their mother's grave," said Sam Hoey. "They were very brave and we are all bearing up okay.

"We are gaining strength from a tremendous network of support from family and friends. I have told the boys their mum is now an angel in Heaven and will always be watching over them."

Diane, who worked for Banbridge District Council, died suddenly last Wednesday from an infection contracted only a matter of weeks after being given the 'all-clear' from Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a type of cancer originating from white blood cells.

She had undergone a successful bone marrow transplant in a Dublin hospital last summer and a scan in January had been so good, doctors had told Diane they wouldn't need to see her again.

"We were all thrilled and the signs were really positive," said Sam. "We had been warned about the dangers of infections and sadly, after all the treatment, Diane's immune system was just too weak to fight off the flu-type illness from which she died."

Paying tribute to his wife, Sam said Diane had never once complained during three years of living with the disease and undergoing gruelling courses of treatment, including chemotherapy, radiography and stem-cell treatment.

"I often asked Diane how she was so brave," he said. "I never once heard her say 'Why me?' and I never heard her complain. Her answer was that she would have preferred it this way than having to take one of the boys for similar type treatment. That was her attitude in everything; she was totally unselfish and faced up to all challenges and setbacks with unbelieveable courage.

"She was quite simply a brilliant wife and will be irreplaceable ."

Since her diagnosis in January 2007, Diane did much to raise awareness of the Anthony Nolan Trust and its drive to attract more people to join the bone marrow regiser.

"Diane's bone marrow was a non-sibling match, so she was aware of the need to attract more donors for the register, so other people in the same position could be given the chance of life," added Sam. "She helped organise a special clinic for potential new bone marrow donors at Banbridge Leisure Centre in December 2008 and she was delighted that over 150 people attended.

"We first heard she had a donor match when we were on a caravan break at Cranfield. Diane wasn't allowed to fly, so we bought a caravan so we could all get away for a few days. The phonecall came through and the next day we were in Dublin preparing for the operation."

Sam paid tribute to all the doctors and nurses involved in his wife's care, both at St James' Hospital, Dublin, and the City Hospital, Belfast, where Diane attended for follow-up checks and tests following the successful transplant.

"Diane, as a patient, and indeed we all as a family, were extremely well looked after," said Sam. "The specialists, doctors, and nurses couldn't have done any more for us and I would like to have that on record."