"SAMMY was beautiful on the inside and out. She was so brave and caring during everything – she was an inspiration to us all."
Those are the words of the family of Samantha "Sammy" Hickling nee Parkin, who passed away on Friday after losing her battle with cervical cancer. She was just 27.
As they try to come to terms with their loss, her family say they are "incredibly proud" of Sammy for sharing her story with the Grimsby Telegraph in the weeks before her death in an attempt to stop other women suffering the same fate.
Sam was diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer in December 2011 after years of unexplained symptoms and began an intensive course of treatment.
Tragically, she was told the cancer had spread and that her condition was terminal at the end of February.
She married her boyfriend of seven years, Sam Hickling, 29, at their home in Alvingham, on March 1, in a surprise service that was organised in just a half a day.
Friends and family had just a few hours' notice of the celebration, but dozens of well-wishers looked on as the couple declared their love and commitment to one another.
Sammy slipped out of her "uncomfortable" wedding dress and donned her pyjamas as they shared their first dance – Let's Stay Together by Al Green.
It is a day that will stay in Sam's memory forever. He said: "We shared so many incredible moments, but our wedding day was the ultimate.
"When we started going out I always said that marriage was just a formality, but as time went on I realised how important the commitment it stood for was. I wish we'd done it years ago.
"I loved everything about Sammy – her quirkiness, her attitude to life, how head-strong she was when she wanted something and the way she made up her own words when the Oxford dictionary didn't say what she wanted it to!
"She was an absolutely incredible person and she brought out the best in me. I'd never been abroad before I met her, but she managed to get me a passport and surprised me with a trip to Amsterdam, which was amazing.
"Our holiday to Cyprus last year will always stick in my mind, too, because it was when she was last her carefree self.
"She didn't let the fact she was told the cancer had spread on the way to the airport affect the holiday. She just wanted to make the most of every moment.
"That was just how she was."
Born in Worksop, Sammy moved to Alvingham when she was seven and attended North Cockerington Primary and King Edward Grammar schools.
She worked as a healthcare assistant at Boots before deciding to take her Association of Accounting Technicians' qualification.
Sammy worked for various companies before starting work with Navigo, North East Lincolnshire's mental health trust, three years ago.
Sammy's family moved into her home for the last eight weeks of her life and she was with Sam when she fell into a peaceful sleep with a smile on her face.
Her dad Roger Parkin, 51, said Sammy's courage, even during the darker days of her illness, was astonishing.
"I remember the day I went to see her at hospital when the doctors had told her there was nothing more they could do," he said.
"When I walked in she told me she was sorry and that she had tried her best to get better. I was left totally speechless. Only Sammy would feel that she should apologise for that.
"Even when she received the most devastating news, she would be quiet for a minute or two and then just get on with it.
"She genuinely cared about all her family and friends and she was more concerned about how we were coping than how she was.
Mum Wanda Fischer, 50, said Sammy excelled at everything she set her mind to.
"Everybody says their daughter is beautiful, but she really was – on the inside and out," she added.
"She had the most gorgeous blue eyes and they always expressed how she was feeling.
"She cared so much about everybody else and she was so unassuming and apologetic for causing anybody else trouble.
"She was so talented in so many ways. She used to play football when she was at school and then netball through work.
"She couldn't read music, but she taught herself to play the guitar, trombone and keyboard, and she had a beautiful singing voice.
"She was also very creative and the house is full of amazing things she's made."
Brother Liam Parkin, 23, who is studying at Liverpool University, said Sammy's smile could light up a room.
He said: "Her laugh was infectious and once she started she wouldn't be able to stop. If Sammy and my mum got going then we'd have to split them up to stop them laughing all day.
"She was a very sociable person and everybody who she met warmed to her.
"She was a typical big sister and I will always remember her reaching her hand out to hold mine whenever we reached a road when we were younger.
"She was always there to look after us all.
"I remember thinking she was a nerd at school, but in reality she was just exceptionally bright and brilliant at everything she did."
Brother Josh Williamson, 19, added: "I remember cycling all the way from Lincoln to see her a few weeks ago and she was so happy to see me, but she also gave me a serious telling off for not having a helmet on or any lights!
"That's what I loved so much about her, she was so caring."
Step-mum Rachel Parkin, 41, who is a head teacher, plans to use Sammy's story to educate her female pupils about the signs and symptoms of cervical cancer and the value of the HPV vaccine, although that could not have saved Sammy.
Rachel said: "She would be proud to know that her story has inspired other women to have their symptoms checked.
"We have already heard of some women who have been for a test as a result of Sammy's story.
"She was so courageous and brave and had an incredible ability to look after everybody else.
"Words cannot describe how much we will all miss her."
A funeral will take place at Alford Crematorium on Monday, from 11am. Sam has chosen three Foo Fighters songs – Still, Everlong and Miracle – to be played during the service.
Donations for cervical cancer charity Jo's Trust should be sent to Kettle Funeral Directors, in Kidgate Louth, on 01507 600710.
