A heartbroken mum has paid tribute to her “real-life angel” daughter who died unexpectedly in her sleep.
Bille-Jo Allen, 17, was described as “lovely and bubbly” and a massive Newcastle United supporter.
Her mum, Joanne Allen, told ChronicleLive : “Her death was totally sudden and unexpected, it’s absolutely devastating and our whole family and town can’t believe it.”
Joanne, who lives in Egremont in Cumbria, added: “She absolutely loved going to the games and was a true fan, so to have thousands of Geordie supporters applauding my little girl would be amazing.
“She was so happy the last time we saw a match in November. We’d come into Newcastle to finish our Christmas shopping, and she knew we were playing a home match, so she pleaded with me to get tickets.”
The devastated family are calling for football fans to applaud at the 17th minute of Newcastle’s match against Everton on February 8, in Billie-Jo’s honour.
Billie-Jo was “very poorly her whole life” and was living with chronic lung disease and had undergone brain surgery as a child.
However, it is not believed any of her underlying health conditions contributed to her death.
Joanne explained that Billie-Jo “never complained about being in hospital” and was “brave, kind and good” the whole way through her treatments.
At the time of her death, Billie-Jo was a student at college studying health and social care so that she could embark on a career in nursing, and give back to the NHS.
Billie-Jo was the “baby of the family”, with four older brothers and older two sisters, and was the centre of a “large group of friends”.
Joanne, 50, explained: “She was the centre of everyone’s world, she brought everyone together, and acted as the family glue.
“We are having to put on a bus for her funeral on Friday because we expect so many friends to turn up.
“The whole town is in shock and we’ve had so many wonderful comments saying what a beautiful soul she had.
“She really was amazing – and you’d never hear a bad word cross her lips.”
The family says they received an inconclusive autopsy, adding it could be months until the reason for Billie-Jo’s death is established.