A BRAVE Kilwinning woman battling a terminal brain tumour has passed away.

Tragic Linda Unwin took her last breaths at home with her devoted mum, Catherine, dad Tom and brother Tom, by her bedside on Tuesday, July 2. She was just 28.

In February 2018 doctors told Linda and her devastated mum Catherine McKnight she had just eight months to live after they discovered she had High Grade Glioma Glioblastoma – an aggressive, incurable brain tumour.

But the heroic graphic designer fought for her life and survived for 17 months - even managing to plan her own, unique funeral before she died.

Speaking through tears, mum Catherine said: “Linda was so brave, she was just so positive, even after finding out she was going to die, she was still cracking jokes. She inspired us all.”

Linda’s tumour had been showing signs of shrinking after she got on a clinical trial.

But the family were heartbroken in May when Linda went for a routine scan and was told, not only had the tumour expanded to cover half of her brain, but another tumour was also growing at the other side.

Catherine told the Herald: “It was devastating. They said there was a new tumour at the other side and the existing tumour had literally exploded and covered half her brain, She just sat there and said ‘Well we are all going to die some time, it’s just that I am going to die sooner.’ Then she looked at me and asked: ‘Are we going for food?’.

“She was so brave. We knew this day was coming, but I was still in disbelief. But I just thought if Linda can be that strong, then I’d have to be too.”

Following that scan Linda was told she had two months left to live and spent every day doing the simple things that she loved.

Catherine said: “We would go out for food, to the cinema, have movie nights at home, walks in the park, anything at all that she wanted, we did it.

“She said to me, ‘You know mum, there are people who are breathing every day, but they don’t know how to live.’.

But two weeks ago Catherine noticed small changes in Linda’s condition. She said: “There were wee lapses in her memory and some confusion, which wasn’t there before.

“She was in so much pain so she was on sedatives, but she refused to quit. She was still sitting up, alert and singing.

“On the day she died her breathing had deteriorated and she was in and out of sleep, but she managed to open her eyes.”

Linda passed away at 8.05pm surrounded by her family, but Catherine says she feels “angry” that her daughter had to suffer at all.

She said: “I am lost without Linda, but I feel angry that there is no legal euthanasia. Linda suffered for hours and hours at the end, when there was no other possible outcome. That illness takes away the person, long before they actually die. I feel in those situations there should be something we could do to let her slip away quicker, and without pain.”

Before she died Linda was able to plan her own funeral and has chosen a burial in a white wool coffin at Craufurdland Estate.

Catherine says Linda even went along to the country estate to see her burial plot and choose her coffin. She said: “She was determined she would plan every last detail. We went for a big walk around the gardens and she saw where her resting place will be and that made her happy. She was such an inspirational young woman. I will forever feel proud to say Linda was my daughter.”

Linda’s funeral takes place this Friday, July 12 at Craufurdland Castle at 2pm, followed by the After Party at The Late Lounge, Taylors in Kilwinning.

Guests are asked to wear colourful party attire, no black.