A mother who has had to watch two of her loved ones battle cancer has this week paid tribute to her 'hero' in a heartbreaking Facebook post which has been picked up by various media outlets in recent days.

Joely Attwater touched hearts all over the world when she honoured her husband, Tom, who passed away after a long battle with the hostile disease on September 29th.

Throwing light on the poignancy of Tom's battle, Joely explained that her husband had spent his final days on this earth raising funds for his stepdaughter, Kelli, who is also fighting the disease.

Joely, who also shares a son with Tom, was devastated when her daughter was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, at just three-months-old.

After a year of chemotherapy, Kelli's treatment was deemed successful, but medical professionals warned her mother of the possibility of a relapse.
 


At the age of three, doctors' concerns for Kelli were realised when she was diagnosed with the disease again.

Commenting on Kelli's situation at the time, Joely and Tom said: “It is the worst nightmare possible. We just knew we had to fight for Kelli and stay strong to give her the best chance of life we could.”

While attempting to come to terms with Kelli's relapse, the family were dealt another devastating blow when they learned that Tom was living with a brain tumour.

Diagnosed as terminal, Tom put much of his energy into ensuring Kelli was protected against the disease which she had fought twice in her short life.
 


“It is very, very hard at times to remain positive but Joely and Kelli always give me many reasons to smile and keep me going,” he said.

While fighting his own diagnosis, Tom launched a fundraiser for his stepdaugher with the help of The Neuroblastoma Children’s Cancer Alliance UK and raisied an incredible £500,000.

Tom reflected on his determination at the time and insisted his efforts were an accurate reflection of his love for Kelli and her mother.

“I promised Joely we would reach the target and did not want to fail her or our little girl. For Kelli there is nothing I would not have done, no matter how difficult.”

Acknowledging his own mortality, the dad-of-two told a newspaper: “I know I won’t always be here for Kelli and Joely and that is heartbreaking, but I can make sure if Kelli needs treatment it is possible.”

Tom passed away on Tuesday – a tragedy which Joely admits she is struggling to come to terms with.
 


“Tom was my hero and I can't even comprehend how I am supposed to live the rest of my life without my best friend,” she wrote in a heartfelt tribute to the man who did his best to secure a happy healthy life for their little girl.

“Despite his extreme fatigue and daily seizures, he got out of bed every day to help fundraise", she told a local newspaper, praising her husband for offering Kelli 'the very best chance of life'.
 


Our hearts go out to Tom's family and friends at this devastating time – We can only imagine how proud they are of him.

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