'We are heartbroken' - Shropshire woman who battled rare disease and had nearly 100 surgeries has died aged 26

Tamara Dawn Peart, known as Timmy to her family and friends, died on June 1 from an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).

The disease is very rare and affects the body's ability to produce healthy collagen, a protein that provides support to skin, joints, blood vessels, and many other organs and tissues. 

This can lead to a range of symptoms, including joint pain, skin that bruises or tears easily, and overly flexible joints.

Tamara, who lived in Bayston Hill near Shrewsbury, lost her father to the same disease 15 years earlier aged just 44, and in her short life Tamara underwent nearly 100 operations, including the amputation of her foot.

In 2017, Tamara's dream of going swimming on holiday were realised after generous readers of the Shropshire Star donated more than £2,500 to buy her a "swimming leg".

Mum Clair Raines said that despite all her health issues and adversities, Tamara was the “happiest, most cheerful person”.

“She was diagnosed when she was very young,” Clair said. “We first noticed when she would bruise whenever we touched her.

“She had very complicated needs and lots of problems, including a club foot that had to be amputated, she also had a stoma fitted later in life and suffered from depression. But she was the happiest, most cheerful person and took it all in her stride.

“Sadly, she passed away on June 1 and we are heartbroken,” she added. “It was very sudden but a post-mortem revealed it had been the EDS that eventually took her life.

“We are hoping to raise money for her funeral, and to raise awareness of this devastating disease.”

Family friend Cara Bowler, who has set up a Gofundme fundraiser to help the family cover funeral costs and buy a headstone for Tamara, said: “She was such a big part of their lives and enjoyed the little things.

“She has made such a big impact in everyone she came to meet - she has battled through her illness her whole life and had 98 surgeries, one including her leg being amputated at the young age of 10 and nearly dying from a perforation of her bowel twice.

“Even though she battled through so much in such a short life she learnt to adjust and carry on no matter what, she smiled and always cared and loved with her whole heart.

“Unfortunately Timmy lost her last battle and has left so many people devastated in the wake of this.

“Unfortunately due to Timmy being poorly she was unable to work and due to that the family are struggling to pay for her funeral and they want to give Timmy the send-off she deserves so any help is greatly appreciated, not just by Timmy's family but her friends and most importantly Timmy - she will now be at peace.”

If you can help with the funeral costs, the Gofundme page set up for Tamara's family can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/tamara-dawn-peart.