Tributes have been paid to a “one of a kind” mum-of-three who died after a battle with cancer.

Laura Williams, from Maidstone, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the end of May 2023, when she was just 41.

Her dad Glyn said: “We were told it was going to be a particularly difficult one to treat.

“Shortly after being diagnosed she got a UTI and following the treatment she ended up with kidney failure.

“She was in hospital for quite a long time in Canterbury in a specialist unit there.”

The family were then told the cancer had spread into Laura’s bones – meaning it could be treated but not cured.

“She found it difficult to move and she had an awful lot of sickness,” Glyn said. “That was quite heart-wrenching at times.”

“On one particular week she had a stroke on the Sunday and loss of vision in her left eye, and the next day she had a heart attack.

“It seemed like the whole world was conspiring against Laura to see how much she could handle.

“She did handle things amazingly given everything that was going on. It was really emotional, tearful and scary and we thought together we could beat it.”

He says in mid-November Laura had a “good period” but a week before Christmas her speech got confused.

Glyn added: “She had three hospital admissions by ambulance and on the last one she didn’t come out.

“It happened very fast and it was down to a central nervous system infection.”

Laura died on December 30, aged 42.

She leaves behind twin boys Freddie and Jacob ,12, and six-year-old daughter, Frankie.

Her friend Lucy Todd said: “Laura was very unique, she was one of a kind. She was incredibly brave and headstrong, pretty wild at times.

“She was the funniest person you could ever meet, and so unforgettable.

“So many people she hasn’t seen in years have got in touch since hearing the news. It’s really hit a lot of people because she was such a huge character.

“She was a great friend and a brilliant mum.”

Laura, who grew up in Margate, worked as a pupil mentor at Bower Grove School in Barming, which is a special school, for 10 years.

Lucy added: “She did really put her heart and soul into her job, she was really passionate about children with additional needs.”

With Laura’s other close friends Rachel James and Marie Webb, Lucy has set up a Gofundme to raise money for her children. Donations can be made here.

Lucy said: “We decided to set it up purely for her children. Laura was such a devoted mum and she was such a forward planner so she would think about things even if they were for five or ten years’ time.

“We know she wouldn't have wanted them to miss out on anything that she would’ve been here to arrange or plan for.

“The money isn’t necessarily for now at all, but for the future as they become young adults and go through those big milestones. It’s for them to have that safety that she would’ve provided.”

Glyn added: “It could be used for things like school trips. Being twins, that doubles it which brings its own pressures.

“Our focus is now on the children, the kids are amazing and resilient.

“Laura was a huge character and they won’t forget her in a hurry, we’ll make sure they don’t.”