Their fun-loving mum of 29
her sister was sleeping off a severe migraine, but rang back at 1pm saying her condition had deteriorated severely.
She said: “It happened so fast, there was absolutely no warning.
“I got there within the hour but she had passed away. I was literally minutes too late.”
Kara passed away with her partner Karl Thomson by her side.
The family are still waiting to hear whether her cancer was a metastasis - related to her first tumour - or not
Karaoke fan Kara mum enjoyed meals out, socialising with family and friends, and doting on her children.
Kayleigh, 32, said: “She was really fun-loving, she would do anything for anyone.
“Her kids Luke and Abbi were just her whole world. They came first for her in everything.
“They seem to be sleeping okay and have gone back to school.
“Luke is starting to ask a lot of questions, and Abbi still talks about her mum and then gets upset thinking they are doing something together.
“But they are surrounded by family and we’re trying to keep things as normal as possible.”
Loved ones will bid their final goodbyes to Kara at a service at Tynemouth Crematorium on Friday.
Reeling from their unexpected loss, Kayleigh has set up a GoFundMe page in an attempt to provide Kara’s children with financial stability.
The young mum was unable to secure life insurance after her first cancer battle, and the speed of her decline meant she was unable to put any plans in place.
Kayleigh added: “We didn’t expect her to go that quickly. She’d started a bit of Christmas shopping but she hadn’t finished,
“We’re thinking of the kids - we know it’s going to be such a hard Christmas for them.”
More than £5,200 has been raised in a matter of days, and Kayleigh says the response has been “overwhelming”.
She finished: “Kara was muchloved, and this shows just how loved she was.”
To read more about Kara’s story and donate, visit her GoFundMe page.