A 'beautiful' teenager died just weeks after discovering she had cancer. Daniela Brandao only discovered she had a tumour on her liver in September last year.
But despite hopes surgery would cure the disease, she passed away earlier this month after the cancer spread. Now tributes have been paid to the woman with a "contagious laugh" who shone a light on those around her.
Daniela saw the doctor in September when she started having excruciating pains down her right side which spread to her front and back. Medics carried out an emergency scan and it was discovered that she had a 10cm tumour in her liver.
Her family told the Liverpool Echo how the then 18-year-old was told that the tumour could be removed. They said she had been told she would be able to live the rest of her life as normal.
But after undergoing surgery she was told that the cancer had spread to her lungs and spine. Daniela continued to remain positive but lost her fight for life six days after she turning 19 on January 17.
Her sister Jess, 22, told the Liverpool Echo: "As a person, she was honestly amazing. I always think when people say these things after a death 'how true are they?' but she was just beautifully honest. She'd just got her A-Level results in the summer.
"I remember the night she found out the cancer was spreading, I was getting to ready to go out with a couple of friends and she sent me a text. I instantly got a call telling me not to open it because she wanted me to enjoy my night.
"That was the type of person she was, we would always ring each other before a night out. She was so selfless She would do anything for her friends and family. She was just incredibly selfless."
Jess, who lived in Sheffield at the time Daniela discovered she had cancer, moved back into her family home in Greasby, living with her sisters Kayla, 17, Adriana, 14, and Jasmine, 11, as well as her brother James, 20.
Daniela's boyfriend, Elliot, also made a massive difference to the teenager as she fought the disease. Jess added: "Elliot is Dani's boyfriend of three years. She passed away the day before their three-year anniversary, unfortunately. He stayed by her side the whole time and visited her as much as he could in hospital. He's basically part of the family."
Following Daniela's death, the teen's employer at the time of the diagnosis, Burger Joe's, set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for the heartbroken family after her parents, Carlos and Marie-Claire, took months off work to help care for their family.
In the fundraiser, it said: "Dani was known to many for her contagious laugh, exceptional intelligence, quick-wit, cheeky nature and beauty - both inside and out. She was and always will be loved so unconditionally by all those lucky enough to experience her light.
"Our family will be eternally grateful for the loving support from those at The Christie/ Young Lives Vs Cancer; the incredibly kind words from relatives and friends; and the genuine love everyone has given to Dani and our family recently. It has meant the world to us all."
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