Tributes have been paid to a mother from Norwich who has left a legacy of helping others, by requesting funds be raised for a vital charity in her memory.

Despite being born with a life-threatening condition, Wendy Kristina Bacon would go on to have a life led by her endearing and adventurous nature.

She arrived in the world in Ilford, Essex, on July 28, 1974. Following a stay in the hospital, it was a great relief when she came home to join her mum and dad – Tricia and Paul – twin sister Star and older sister Emma.

However, this would not be the only time Wendy was seriously ill. At the age of five, she developed encephalitis – a serious condition in which the brain becomes inflamed. It is something that affected her for the rest of her life but did not stop her from becoming an “endearing, adventurous, and daring child”.

One such memory includes a camping trip, aged six, where she had to be rescued after her mum discovered her at 2am sitting in a little boat in the middle of a lake singing the nursery rhyme, Row Row Row Your Boat.

Aged 15, she completed a work experience placement at a cafe in Cromer, on the north Norfolk coast, something her family said she was always “very proud of”. Unfortunately, she was unable to work after that due to ill-health.

Wendy had many passions, including Native American culture. She owned numerous dream catchers, statues and pictures of wolves. She was a Disney fanatic and enjoyed animated movies including favourites Shrek and Harry Potter. She also enjoyed shopping, whether it was online on Ebay or at Norwich’s Anglia Square, where she knew many locals.

A lover of animals, she had a pet ferret named Dobbie – named after her most loved Harry Potter film – and also kept tropical fish, including a beloved albino plec fish named Casper.

Paying tribute, her friends and family described being proud of their “brave and funny” Wendy.

They said: “Throughout her life, despite the pain and discomfort she has been in so much of the time, Wendy was always incredibly brave. She had a great sense of humour and was very funny.

“Wendy has been taken far too soon. She will be very much missed but never forgotten by all those who knew and who loved her.

“She said that at the end she did not want to leave her home, but just go to sleep when it was time to go. Wendy got her wish.

“She had a great team around her and she would have liked any money raised to go towards helping other people in her position. Special thanks to Abby, Pauline, and Dawn, from Priscilla Bacon Lodge who cared for Wendy till the end, as well as Kayley who was her carer.”

Donations in Wendy’s memory are being collected for The Priscilla Bacon Lodge Support Group, an organisation that cared for her until her death.

Wendy died from breast cancer on August 9. She was 47. Her funeral was on September 16. She leaves behind her son, Hayden, and granddaughter, Belle.

To donate to The Priscilla Bacon Lodge Support Group in Wendy’s memory, please visit the Just Giving fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Wendy-Kristina and leave a donation.

The Priscilla Bacon Support Group is a registered charity that helps to supplement funding from the NHS. Its aim is to enable patients and their relatives to have additional benefits, such as special equipment.

The Priscilla Bacon Lodge in Norwich also provides specialist advice and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses. Its sister charity, Priscilla Bacon Hospice, is currently running a fundraising appeal to build a new hospice that will give many more people in Norfolk and Waveney access to this specialist care.

For more information on the appeal and the ways you can get involved, please visit the website www.priscillabaconhospice.org.uk to find out more.