A balloon tribute has been held in memory of a ‘sassy’ Edinburgh student who died suddenly while on a dream work trip in Australia.
Jessica Welsby, who is originally from St Helens, Merseyside, passed away just days before her 25th birthday while working as an accountant on an exchange programme in Melbourne.
The 24-year-old was just five weeks into her trip when her devastated family were contacted and told she had passed away, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Her death was caused by Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS), a genetic heart condition that can cause sudden death but often goes unnoticed when the person is young and healthy.
Heartbroken mum Maria Welsby, 54, told how the family is still struggling to come to terms with their loss as they approached the second anniversary of Jessica’s death.
She said: “It’s very tough - it’s extremely tough.
"Her nan and pops who she was extremely close to won't even have a picture in their house because they're just devastated. They're broken.
"It was only Christmas just gone that I went back to work. I had 14 months off because I couldn't function, I couldn't wash, I couldn't shower or do anything.
"As for keeping her memory alive, all her friends and family still talk about her all the time."
As the family approached the first anniversary of Jessica's death, her loved ones undertook a 230 mile bike ride in her memory.
Jessica's dad and five others, including her two uncles, cycled from St Helens to Edinburgh, where she gained her qualification of Chartered Accountant at Chiene and Tait.
Maria said the group raised £23,000 and the company Jessica worked for in Australia also participated in their own fundraising bike ride.
Maria said: "She’d have been over the moon. A lot of her friends came up to Scotland at the time to Princes Street Gardens. They all got together on the Monday and let balloons go with their own messages on them.
"This year we’re going to do something at home but we haven't decided what that will be yet."
Maria said Jessica was very popular and loved by those around her, who gathered for her funeral and sent flowers and cards from other parts of the world.
She said whilst they're not a fundraising family, they are happy that they have raised money for defibrillators that will benefit local schools and social clubs.
Maria said: "You just get up each day and get the day over with.
"We’ve got really good friends. Steve’s two best mates and my best friends and their wives and children. They're all the same ages, there’s about six of them who all grew up together. It hit them all but they're all very good to us
"I just think how can you know, how can you find out. We’ve all been checked, my nephew who plays football has been checked and all these footballers are checked and they find nothing.
"It’s not just grieving for Jessica, we’re grieving for what she didn't have. Her dad wont get to walk her down the aisle, she’ll never be a mum.
"She was like a bottle of pop Jessica. She was just the most funny and full of laughter person. She packed so much in.
"But she could be bossy, she could be sassy when she wanted to be but also the most lovely person ever."
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