Sandhurst resident Carmen Dalwood set up a small online fundraising page after her friend Marjorie Derama, living in Bristol, died from a brain haemorrhage leaving behind her husband Winnie and three children, the youngest a girl aged five.

The family were days away from travelling to America to start a new life, something they had dreamt about for nearly 10 years, when Marjorie was struck with a severe headache and became violently sick. She was rushed to Bristol’s Southmead Hospital on Wednesday, February 4 but sadly passed away just one week later on February 12. Mrs Dalwood, herself a mother to four children, began fundraising to help pay for the costs of returning Marjorie’s body to her native Phillipines for burial and has now exceeded her £10,000 target.

She said: “I did not expect to raise so much, I was very ambitious in the amount I needed to raise so to even get close to that amount would have been great. I didn’t realise it was that costly to send a body all the way to the Phillipines. The more donations the better it will be for the family.” The cost of repatriating 42-year-old Marjorie, who was an intensive care nurse at Southmead for more than 10 years, is £7,000, with any further money raised going towards flying out her family and helping them get back on their feet.

Majorie’s husband Winnie is also a nurse and worked with Marjorie in the intensive care unit. He is taking six months out of work to avoid having to work on the same ward where his wife spent a week fighting for her life.

Mrs Dalwood said: “It was such terrible timing as they were all ready to fly out to America. They were ready for the house, for the cars, they had got rid of many of their belongings ready for the move. They were meant to be restarting their lives. “The family are heartbroken. When we are around them they seem like they are coping, but there are times when we meet her husband Winnie and he just breaks down. The 12 year old is a quiet girl anyway, so we don’t really know what’s going on in her head but I know that she’s heartbroken.” The family have raised enough to transport Marjorie home to the Phillipines, but still need support to restart their lives in Bristol. Mrs Dalwood added: “It’s very important to her mother and brother in the Phillipines [that she is returned].

“Her mum was begging for her body to be taken back – I think she just wanted to see her daughter one last time.” To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/plshelpmarjorie