Family pay tribute after death of 'inspirational' Millie Wright, 13

And they say they will continue to "live, love and laugh" - because that's what the York youngster would have wanted.

Millie Wright passed away in August last year, aged just 13.

She had been suffering from an underlying auto-immune health condition, which meant she fell ill in March 2021.

She was forced to undergo an urgent liver transplant at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) in April.

Millie, a pupil at All Saint’s School in the city, was able to return home briefly in June, before before requiring a stem cell transplant for aplastic aneamia, a complication of acute hepatitis and acute liver failure - in which the bone marrow stops making enough blood cells.

Millie’s mum, Ceri Wright, said: “Millie, an energetic and inspirational teenager, demonstrated courage and humour throughout her illness, receiving chemotherapy ahead of her stem cell transplant in early August.”

But, sadly on August 21, Millie passed away due to a fungal infection.

“As a family, we know that the next year and beyond is going to be very painful, but we also are adamant that Millie will live on through all of us. We will continue to live, love and laugh, just like Millie would want us to,” Ceri added.

While on the LGI oncology ward, the Candlelighters Trust gave Millie and her family practical help, including with Covid restrictions in place at the time.

“When confined to an infection-safe room with your critically ill child, having someone to help with essential tasks, such as shopping and laundry, is invaluable,” said Millie’s parents.

In Millie’s memory, the Wright family organised a fundraiser for Candlelighters to thank the charity for everything it did to support them through such a difficult time.

They put together a charity raffle and auction, which raised more than £3,600, at an evening event hosted at the Dawnay Arms in Shipton-by-Beningborough. Over the course of the night, they auctioned off donations including weekend breaks, beauty treatments, theatre tickets, house cleaning, art and yoga sessions.

Speaking together, the family said: “This marked our first Christmas without our precious daughter. The boys have navigated it without the sister they adored.

“Candlelighters continue to support our family and we were overwhelmed by the generosity of friends and the community who helped to make the fundraising event a success.

“Our expectation was that we would raise a few hundred pounds, so we want to thank from the bottom of our hearts each and every person that supported in whatever way - we could never have achieved this without you.”

Millie’s family is now planning another event in May to celebrate what would have been her 14th birthday - and her friends recently raised £1,600 via bake-sales to build a memorial bench at All Saint’s School.