Bright blue day as mourners say farewell to Becky Toms from Chatham
Published: 08:54, 18 October 2013
Friends and family wore blue to say goodbye to a much-loved young woman who died after battling a brain tumour for many years.
Hundreds of people attended Becky Toms’ funeral at Medway Crematorium on Wednesday.
Becky, of Holcombe Road, Chatham, died last month, aged 22.
Her coffin was bright blue – Becky’s favourite colour – and the hearse was decorated with blue ribbons.
Becky’s parents, Pauline and Mike, along with her older siblings, Tasha, Dan and Kayla, wore blue instead of black, as did many of her friends.
The undertakers even wore blue ties.
Becky was a huge fan of McFly and the boy band’s songs featured throughout the service.
Her coffin was carried into the chapel to the song All About You and the service ended with The Last Song, also by McFly.
Seasons of Love, from the musical Rent, was also played, chosen by Becky’s friends.
Friends shared their memories of Becky and spoke about her infectious laugh and how she was always smiling. One described how Becky loved life and how she crammed so much into her 22 years.
She was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was just eight.
She had three major operations, which left her with double vision and poor balance.
But she went on to do well at school and later studied drama at MidKent College.
When Becky was 19, she woke up one morning complaining of a headache and was rushed to hospital where she suffered a stroke and later a massive brain haemorrhage.
Doctors discovered Becky’s tumour had become malignant and she had to endure a year of chemotherapy.
She was due to start radiotherapy last month but her condition deteriorated and she was admitted to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
She died a few days later on Friday, September 27.
Since Becky’s death, hundreds of tributes have been left on her Facebook page and her name was trending on Twitter. Some of the online tributes were read out during the service. Becky’s family asked for donations to two of her favourite charities instead of funeral flowers.
So far, more than £1,500 has been raised for Teens Unite and The Teenage Cancer Trust.
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Jenni Horn