'Beautiful' Coventry girl Hallie dies from cancer aged two

Hallie, aged two, died on Sunday after she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia

A "beautiful little girl" from Coventry whose cancer diagnosis sparked a huge fundraising appeal has died.

Hallie, aged two, died on Sunday after she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia at eight months old.

Her death was announced on Facebook by her parents, Jamie and Kim, who said words would never do her justice.

Jamie said: "You really were the most gentle, loving, funny, caring, beautiful little girl. The purest soul with the most infectious smile.

"My heart will be yours forever. You showed me what true love is and I will never love anyone the way I loved you. Thank you for giving me the honour of being your daddy.

"No more hospitals. No more fighting. No more isolation. You are as free as your beloved birds now baby."

Hallie was diagnosed with JMML, a rare type of leukaemia, when she was on her first family holiday in Spain during the summer of 2022.

Hallie was diagnosed with cancer when she was eight months old

She was flown home before her treatment began at Birmingham Children's Hospital, which included chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants and blood transfusions.

A fundraiser was launched by Hallie's aunt, Hannah Dugdale, in a bid to raise money for CAR T-cell therapy, which was not available on the NHS.

The Rally for Hallie appeal raised more than £870,000 towards the target of £1m and was backed by Coventry City players and singer-songwriter Tom Grennan.

But it was paused when Hallie's condition worsened.

In his tribute, her father said nothing would ever be the same again and added his life had been "shattered".

"I wish more than anything you could have stayed with me, but you are just too good for this world," he said.

"I love you and miss you more than I can ever express. It hurts so deeply. My body is aching for you but when I close my eyes I can still feel you holding my hand and please hold daddy's hand forever."