Almost a year ago Jessica Brooks was waiting for a heart transplant which was her only chance of survival.

The teenager, who had been suffering from heart disease since she was 15, had been given just two weeks to live.

She had her operation in February 2016 but died in hospital on Wednesday after becoming ill again.

In the middle of their grief, her family is clinging to the fact that they had a year with her that would not have been possible without the transplant.

Jessica’s mum Emily said: “I had my baby for another year that we wouldn’t have otherwise had thanks to organ donation.

“We got to watch her be healthy and happy for a whole extra year. We watched her run, climb, fall in love, have parties for no reason, eat her favourite foods and tell her that I loved her many many times.

“All of that thanks to her donor, which is why we will still continue to encourage people to get onto the donors’ list.

“Jess would have wanted that, it’s what she would have done herself.”

Jessica’s sister Abbigail Brooks-Barry said: “We had an extra year with her. I’m glad I got to tell her I loved her.

“She was always smiling and happy. When she grew up she wanted to be a journalist. She was always singing and playing her guitar.”

Jessica, 18, of Louisville Avenue, Gillingham, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy when she was 15.

The disease causes the heart muscle to become stretched and thin, so it cannot pump blood around the body effectively.

The 18-year-old was in and out of hospital for a year-and-a-half before doctors told her she had to have a heart transplant.

Abbigail said: “In February 2016 they told her that if she didn’t have one she would only have two weeks to live.”

After eight days waiting at the Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire a heart became available and Jessica had a transplant.

“She just got better,” Abbigail, 20, said. “She started doing all the things normal teenagers do like going to parties. She had so many friends.”

Jessica, a former MidKent College and Victory Academy pupil, had a number of colds and even tonsillitis but she started feeling sick last weekend.

“We didn’t expect this to happen,” Abbigail said. “She told mum she needed to go to hospital at about midnight on Monday.

“She spent about 15 hours on A&E before they found her a bed on a high dependency unit.”

'Jess was a fighter. She fought for her life more times than anyone should' - Abbigail Brooks-Barry

Hospital staff attempted to move her to intensive care on Wednesday but Jessica’s heart stopped beating.

Her family were with her when she died.

Jessica’s family and friends met at the Great Lines Heritage Park on Friday to release balloons and lanterns and share memories of her.

Mandy Gage, Victory Academy principal, said: “We are stunned to hear of Jess’s passing, and she will be hugely missed by the whole community.

“All of our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Jess’s loved ones at this very difficult time, and we will always remember her with great fondness.”

Last month, we revealed that Jessica had been nominated for a Pride in Medway award by Abbigail, nan Jennifer Phillips and great-aunt Sue Radley-Kirk, for the bravery she showed throughout her illness.

Abbigail added: “Jess was a fighter. She fought for her life more times than anyone should.”

No funeral date has been set yet but family friend, Annika Hodgkins, has set up a JustGiving page to help the family with costs. So far £330 has been raised.