‘If she can, she will....she did!’ Tributes paid to ‘Little Fighter’ Hannah Coffill

Hannah Coffill from Lowestoft who had GCSE success despite being blind from a brain tumour. Hannah is pictured earlier this year with sister Holly. Photo: Courtesy of the Coffill Family (Image: Courtesy of the Coffill Family)

Touching tributes have been paid to a young woman described as 'an inspiration' by family and friends.

After twice being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour over the past decade, Hannah Coffill, 20, died peacefully at her home in Lowestoft on Tuesday night with her family by her side.

In a post on Facebook, Hannah's mum and dad Mandy and Lee, sister Holly and brother Ben, said: 'It is with great sadness that we tell everyone that Hannah our little fighter has passed away with her family round her, very peacefully at home.

Hannah Coffill, pictured in June 2017. Picture: Mick Howes (Image: Archant)

'Fly high our little Angel.

'Thank you all for your support and understanding in what for us is a sad and private time.

'Thank you all for helping to maintain her smile.'

Hannah's mum Mandy Coffill told this newspaper: 'It means a lot that people think so highly of her, and we have everyone to thank in our community for that.

'She is flying high our Angel.

'If she can, she will... she did!! That was her motto.'

After battling cancer for many years, Hannah was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2007, just before her ninth birthday.

She underwent treatment at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge from September 2007 to March 2008, which included a nine hour operation to remove as much of the tumour as possible.

However the side effects of the tumour meant she was left with no pituitary gland.

After beating cancer back then, a check-up at her opticians in January 2017 revealed problems with her eyesight.

Hannah was referred to hospital and doctors discovered the second brain tumour – ten years after her first diagnosis.

Such is the rarity of this, there are only one or two cases of the tumour Hannah was diagnosed with in children in the UK in a year.

It meant that Hannah has endured countless hospital visits, operations and life-saving treatment in the battle against cancer over the years, and she was left blind in April last year after suffering a chemo clot from the treatment.

Hailed as 'one in 7 billion,' the brave woman continued to defy the doctors as she kept on battling and maintained positivity with her Little Fighter blog attracting thousands of followers.

Last year Hannah told this newspaper: 'To have two separate tumours occur of the types I have had, there are only 49 cases documented worldwide ever.'

Having successfully passed her GCSE's in 2017, illness prevented Hannah from sitting her maths GCSE – so in August this year Hannah received further GCSE success as she collected her results.

Renowned for her 'amazing smile,' dogged determination and positivity in battling cancer, Hannah died on Tuesday night just weeks after celebrating her 20th birthday.

Among numerous Facebook tributes from the community, were comments such as 'May her sweet, brave soul Rest In Peace,' and 'RIP Princess.'