CHILDREN were everything to her and when Michelle Bore discovered she was pregnant, life could not have been better.The 23-year-old's family was rocked to the core when 34 weeks into her pregnancy she suddenly died.

By Jessica Nicholls

CHILDREN were everything to her and when Michelle Bore discovered she was pregnant, life could not have been better.

The 23-year-old's family was rocked to the core when 34 weeks into her pregnancy she suddenly died. Her baby girl could not be saved.

Today, her devastated family talk about the girl who meant so much to everyone and in the words of her brother Martyn "was just amazing".

Stories of Michelle's life spill from their lips,

wonderful memories barely filling the aching gap left by her death.

Like the time she ran away from home aged six after an argument with Martyn.

Her mum, Janet Stamper, said she disappeared up an alleyway by the side of the house until she got

hungry at teatime and came home.

Janet, of Longcroft, Walton, Felixstowe, said: "She even packed a little vanity case and I could not resist

seeing what she put in it when she came back.

"All that was inside was a spare pair of knickers and two conkers."

Then there was the time Martyn made her a Boy George hat with long dreadlocks attached to it so she could be like her favourite pop star.

Stories of all the times she helped people and was there for them in their hour of need highlight how

caring, sensitive and generous Michelle was.

Martyn, 25, of Addington Road, Trimley St Mary, said: "She touched a lot of people in her life – there were a lot of people who could rely on her.

Every time I had any troubles I always went to Michelle."

Because their dad Richard was in the armed forces the family moved a lot, meaning Martyn and Michelle relied on one another for friendship.

Martyn said: "We were always together – all of her friends were my friends. We always looked up to one another. It sounds soppy now but we used to play these fantasy games together and one was called Diddy and Doddy.

"She was called Diddy and that was my name for her ever since. She was just my Dids."

Michelle died from septicemia and peritonitis in Ipswich Hospital in September. Eight weeks later the family is barely coming to terms with what has

happened.

Her step-mother Lia, 49, of Dobbs Lane, Kesgrave, told how Michelle was over the moon when she found out she was pregnant and had positively bloomed.

She said: "She used to come here when the nurses were here to see me and they used to say how unfair it was that she looked so well."

Lia is diabetic and had been having some health problems so Michelle would travel to Kesgrave most days to help her with housework.

Michelle had been admitted to hospital five days before she died after feeling unwell one weekend.

Dad Richard, 49 said: "On the Friday night we went to see her as normal. We stayed a bit longer that night because Lia did not want to leave her.

"We got a call about 8.30pm from the hospital who asked us to go up and then they told us the bad news. They fought and fought to save her."

An emergency caesarian was carried out to try to save her baby, a little girl, but it was not to be.

Richard said Michelle never knew the sex of her baby, but said if it was a girl she would call it Katie Louise.

Her baby was cremated with her, along with the ashes of her mum's beloved dog who died two years ago and pictures drawn by her two nephews.

As a little girl Michelle often spent a lot of time with her grandparents Mona and John Bore, who live in Dawson Drive, Trimley St Mary.

Mona, 77, said: "She was a lovely little girl.

I remember the day she broke her arm while she was skating – she was so full of it afterwards."

Mona and John, 79, are handling their grief day by day and John said he likes to keep himself busy when the pain gets too much.

Michelle, a former Kesgrave High School pupil, loved children and was well known as the children's entertainer at The Swallow at Ransomes Europark – often dressing up as Brewster the Bear.

She also idolised Martyn's two children – Corey, six, and James four – and would do anything for them.

As much as Michelle loved children they loved her back and she made great friends with many of them through her work.

Janet said: "When she worked at The Swallow she looked after a little boy who absolutely loved her.

"He only went there if he could see Michelle. One day she was in hospital and when he found she was not there he refused to eat his meal.

"He really wanted to see Michelle so they even went to visit her in hospital and bought her a little get well toy on the way."

Janet said she is not sure whether the family of the little boy know that Michelle has died and said she would love them to get in touch with her so she could talk to them.

Eventually Michelle left The Swallow – where she met boyfriend Rod Sewell, 31, the father of her baby – and went to work in Pizza Hut in Upper Brook Street.

Her family will always remember her as being incredibly courageous and never letting anything worry her, even when she had major surgery at 16 after being diagnosed with colitis – an ulcerated

intestine.

She had to have part of her bowel removed and a bag attached to her stomach called an ileostomy.

Despite having so many problems at such a young age, Michelle was determined to get on with life.

Richard said: "It did not faze her one bit. She came out of the operating theatre after five or six hours and when we went up to see her in the ward she lifted her gown up and said 'hey dad, what do you think of this?' and showed me her scar.

"In January this year Michelle had to go back into hospital with a twisted intestine and the nurses asked her to go and speak to another patient who was having the same operation – nothing bothered her."

Richard, a dock worker at the Port of Felixstowe, will never forget the day his daughter told him she was pregnant.

He said: "I walked in one day and she said 'come here and give us both a kiss.' I was over the moon for her."

Originally living in Staffordshire, the family moved to Norfolk before settling in Suffolk.

Michelle spent most of her life growing up in the Felixstowe area, going to Colneis Junior School and Trimley St Mary school before moving to Orwell High and Kesgrave High Schools. After leaving school she did a secretarial training course at Otley and also worked with her mum at Medite for a time.

Independent as she was, she moved into her own house in Rope Walk before moving to London Road.

She was a popular girl and on the day of her

funeral, the Ipswich crematorium was packed with people all wearing something purple, her favourite colour.

Richard said: "People were standing four or five deep and there were people having to stand outside.

"There were so many girls that came and laid just a single rose."

Now, two months on from her death, her family just want to say thank you to the hospital, friends and relatives who have stood by them and supported them through this terrible time.

Michelle's mobile phone – which her friends' numbers are stored in – cannot be accessed by her family and Janet said anyone who was not aware of her daughter's death can contact her.

Janet can be contacted by phoning Jessica Nicholls at The Evening Star on 01473 282389 or via e-mail at jessica.nicholls@eveningstar.co.uk

She would also like to especially thank her partner Kevin Green who has been there for her and helped her so much.