Brave mum loses brain cancer battle
A TASMANIAN man has lost his childhood sweetheart and four girls have lost their dedicated mum after a West Tamar woman’s struggle against an aggressive “beast” of a brain cancer ended on New Year’s Eve, just weeks after she turned 50.
Legana woman Donna D’Alton took her last breath on December 31, just shy of four months after she suffered the seizure which revealed the presence of a glioblastoma in her brain.
Best friend Karen Britten paid tribute to her “brave, courageous and tenacious” best friend.
“The past few days have been incredibly difficult,” Ms Britten said. “She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Every person that Donna ever met would tell you the same. She had so many friends.
Everybody that met her, loved her.
“From the time of Donna’s diagnosis she was determined to fight as hard as she could, for as long as she could. She told me giving up was simply not an option. She had to live for her girls (Maddie, Danika, Georgie and Darcy) and (husband) Michael.”
Ms Britten revealed that her friend knew from her diagnosis that her time on earth was limited.
“She invited many of her friends to accompany her to treatment. I was one of the first to accompany her,” Ms Britten said.
“When we got into the Holman Clinic waiting room she turned to me and said, ‘Karen, you aren’t stupid and neither am I. I know I have a fight on my hands here and I may not have long to live.’”
Ms Britten said Michael was “absolutely distraught and has four absolutely devastated daughters to care for”.
Michael said he had “no words whatsoever to describe how heartbroken myself and my daughters are right now”.
“Donna amazed me and the girls with how hard she fought,” he said.
Donna’s funeral will be held in Launceston on Monday.
A fundraiser for the family, hosted by Ms Britten, has raised $36,375 at the time of writing.