A high school in Bolton has announced staff and students will be taking part in a touching tribute to pay respects to a five-year-old girl who died earlier this month.
Holly Prince, from Hindley in Wigan, died on Friday, April 8, after battling cancer three times. At the age of three, Holly had been diagnosed with Bloom Syndrome - a rare disorder that around 300 people worldwide suffer from.
People with the condition - which has no known cure - can be of unusually small size, have immune system deficiencies, be sensitive to sunlight, and have an extraordinarily high risk of developing cancer. The average life expectancy is 27.
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In a Facebook post announcing her death, Holly’s parents said: “She fought til the end and is now at peace. In life we loved you dearly, In death we love you still. In our hearts you hold a place, no one else will ever fill. Fly high our beautiful angel. Holly Olivia Prince 02/12/16 - 08/04/22.”
Mum Jenny, who works as a Leader of Learning for PE at Westhoughton High School, announced that Holly’s funeral will be held on Friday (April 22) at St John’s Church. To mark the day, staff and students at the Bolton school are being encouraged to wear Holly’s favourite colours.
The school has said that all staff will be paying their respects by wearing red, pink or purple clothing. In a Facebook post, the school wrote: “During the Easter break our Leader of Learning for PE, Mrs Prince let us know the devastating news that her youngest daughter Holly had passed away peacefully at the age of 5.
“This was after Holly fought so hard to beat cancer. Some of you may have seen Holly’s story, she was diagnosed with Bloom's syndrome in 2020. Holly battled and beat cancer once, but it returned and was just too much for Holly to beat this time.
“To mark our respect in school all staff will be wearing an item of clothing that is either Red, Pink or Purple, Holly’s favourite colours. We invite all students to do the same and replace one item of uniform for something in one of these colours, it could be to wear a red tie, wear purple socks, have a pink hair bobble or hairband.
“Our WHS community is devastated for the whole Prince family and we want to show our support to them in this very small way, as they will be very much in our thoughts on Friday.”
On Friday morning, family and friends will walk from Holly’s Hindley home to the church for the funeral while wearing pink, purple or red accessories or ties. Earlier this week, mum Jenny took to Facebook to share details about her daughter’s sad passing. “Holly passed away cuddled in my arms whilst we were in the car on the way home from the hospital after a day of treatment,” she wrote.
“She didn’t make it home but we believe that’s what Holly wanted. She didn’t want any fuss and she just wanted it to be in my arms, just me and her and her Daddy.” Jenny and husband Mark later visited the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to thank staff for looking after Holly.
Jenny added: “It was lovely to personally thank the nurses, playworkers and doctors that cared for Holly. Some of which she and us had developed a strong bond with. I can’t describe how amazing they all are and we will be forever grateful.”
The family are collecting for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Derian House, who both looked after Holly during the last two years. Donations can be made via the RMCH or Derian House websites.
