A MOTHER who faces life without her only child has paid tribute to the "happiest and most loving daughter on earth".

Although Iona Bradley, 23, suffered from Down's Syndrome, she lived life to the full. She was a former student at York College and worked at the York branch of the Salvation Army.

Loved by everyone, Iona was the light of her mother's life, so when her short life was unexpectedly snatched away after suffering a brain haemorrhage, her mum Pat said it came as a "huge shock".

Iona suffered a stroke and after days in the high-dependency unit at Hull Royal Infirmary, specialists found a blood clot on her brain. As it was too deep to remove, Pat was advised to "let nature run its course".

Iona had got up and got dressed as usual at her home in Rosemary Court, Navigation Road, York, which she shared with her mum. She went to a swimming lesson and complained of feeling dizzy. Only 24 hours later she was in hospital after suffering a stroke.

Pat said: "I got a call from Iona after she had been swimming saying she was feeling ill, so I told her to come home.

"When she came back she just went straight to sleep. She seemed no better the next morning so I took her to York Hospital, where she stayed for 12 hours. During that time Iona suffered a stroke, which paralysed the right side of her body, and she was rushed to Hull Infirmary to see a specialist."

Pat said: "The specialists did everything they could and Iona had around-the-clock care from nurses, but after a few days the doctors said there was nothing they could do - the blood clot was too deep too remove. Iona was in a coma at this point and the specialists said even if she woke up she would be in a vegetative state, which was awful to take when she had been such an active girl, so I agreed to let nature run its course."

After seven days at Hull Infirmary, Iona died on April 30.

"It was such a shock because it was all so sudden," said Pat.

"You don't think that at the beginning of the week you would be receiving get-well cards wishing Iona a speedy recovery and by the end of the week you will be collecting sympathy cards."

Pat described Iona as a "loving and happy" daughter.

"Iona led such an independent and active life," she said.

"She filled her days swimming and going to the pictures and she had so many friends because everyone she met took such a liking to her.

"She gave such a lot of love and she received so much love back from everyone. The weeks since Iona's death have been hard, but I am just so glad that I and the people around her pushed her to do so many things and to enjoy life.

"Iona lived with me, but she would do things everyday for herself and was so independent.

"I miss her so much, but to know how fulfilled her life was is such a consolation and makes the days without her so much easier to bear.

"As time goes on these treasured memories of Iona are a real blessing to hold on to."