Emma Smith on her beloved horse Lavender

by Emma Grove

The parents of a young graduate who died from leukaemia believe their daughter's beloved horse died of a broken heart.

Horse-mad Emma Smith, 23, passed away on January 20 almost a year to the day after she was diagnosed.

Her beloved horse Lavender died the day before she did - and her parents said it might have been because she missed her owner so much.

Emma's family have now pledged to spend a year fundraising for the hospital that treated her.

Although the former Minster College student had a bone marrow transplant at London's Royal Marsden Hospital, most of her care was given at Medway Maritime Hospital.

Donations of more than £,620 raised at her funeral were presented to the hospital's Macmillan Cancer Care Unit yesterday.

Now Emma's parents Julie and Malcolm and 19-year-old sister Amy have set up the Emma Smith Memorial Fund to raise more money for the hospital.

Emma was a keen horse-rider and took up the hobby when she was aged four.

Mrs Smith, of Scrapsgate Road, Minster, said: "We reckon Lavender died of a broken heart - Emma used to always be there looking after her and she hadn't been because of her illness.

"It broke our hearts, losing Emma. Lavender was part of our family for eight years and she had given so much pleasure to Emma. She lived for her horses."

Malcolm and Julie Smith, whose daughter Emma died of leukaemia

Mrs Smith said her daughter was quiet and a family-orientated.

She graduated from the University of Kent with a 2:1 in law and business in July 2010.

Her diagnosis came the following January.

A number of events are planned to raise money for the memorial fund.

There will be a name the rabbit competition over Easter and the family is also doing a pub crawl, supported by the Sheppey Zulus, on the evening of Saturday, May 26.

Wristbands have also been made up to support the memorial fund.