A tragic mum's final wish before dying from Covid-19 was for her children not to be split up, her family said.
Nicola Arslanian, 46, passed away on February 19, having been put on a ventilator weeks after being initially rushed to hospital.
The nursery nurse, from Knowsley, Merseyside, had collapsed with pneumonia and was taken to Aintree Hospital, though she continued to deteriorate.
She was eventually transferred to Royal Liverpool Hospital, where she died, leaving behind daughters Aimee, 24, Isabella, 15, and Holly, 12, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Nicola's dad Anthony, 66, paid tribute to his daughter, describing her as a "beautiful person".
"She fought a good fight, I was with her daughter Aimee every day.
"It was at 1.00am they called me and Aimee to say come down and said 'your daughter's stats are dropping'.
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"Over a week she was slowly deteriorating and they were trying everything they could to keep her alive."
Anthony praised hospital staff as "absolutely amazing", who monitored his daughter 24/7.
He said on the day Nicola died, he was on his own with her and "watched her pass away".
"She didn't feel any pain, there was no pain in her face. She looked like an angel on the pillow to be honest with you," he said.
"I know everyone says that but she really did."
He added: "They did everything they could for her but said they couldn't do any more. Her lungs had become brittle and scarred with the Covid."
Before Nicola was placed on a ventilator, her daughter's grandparents Joseph and Marion Smith said she told her eldest daughter Aimee: "Whatever happens, make sure my kids don't get split up."
The family have set up a Just Giving page in memory of Nicola to help support her three daughters.
Paying tribute to Nicola, Marion Smith said: "She was so bubbly and outgoing, very family orientated.
"We've always been close even though her and my son separated years ago. She's always been a part of our lives.
"She was just a lovely person. We're absolutely devastated all of us. We just heartbroken, it's unbelievable that it's happened."
Nicola's funeral is due to take place on March 3.
As well as her dad and daughters, she is also survived by sisters Tracey and Laura, and brothers Craig and Adam.
Anthony added: "We have moments when we can talk about it and the next thing we're sobbing our hearts out."
You can donate to the Just Giving page set up in Nicola's name by Joseph Smith by clicking here
