THE family of a woman who ‘never wanted to grow up’ is raising the awareness of a virus that claimed her life on her 26th birthday.

Candice Marie Roberts was due to start a teacher training course this autumn but was stuck down with Guillain-Barré syndrome in the summer and died at Warrington Hospital on August 23.

Her mum Karen, aged 51, said: “We waited for Candice to live but on her birthday she chose not to. It was 11.30pm and me, Stephen, her dad, Cheryl, her sister, and Andrew, her brother-in-law, had waited for her all day.

“I never thought she would die — even on that day. I just thought she would be coming home.

“I am still in shock. She was young and we didn’t think she was a risk.”

Candice, a former Appleton College pupil, of Chiswick Gardens, Appleton, first complained about feeling unwell at the start of August. She was struggling to walk, suffering pins and needles and had swollen feet.

After a number of tests she was discharged from Warrington Hospital but returned on August 9 when she started to become paralysed.

Karen said: “Candice was scared. She couldn’t speak and couldn’t eat. We were struggling to communicate with her. Guillain-Barré syndrome is the most evil virus.”

The syndrome is a rare but serious disease of the nervous system. Around 1,500 people are affected by it each year but 80 per cent recover.

It will often cause numbing sensation in the arms and legs. In most cases, the sufferer will have had a viral or bacterial infection prior to getting the condition.

Candice regained some movement in her arms but struggled to breathe and suffered a heart attack on August 17 — which was her dad’s 53rd birthday.

She was then sedated due to huge swelling on her brain. However, on her birthday she was taken off the sedation and later died.

Before her illness, Candice had signed up to be an organ donor.

Her funeral took place at St Thomas’ Church on August 31 and Stockton Heath came to a standstill.

The song Tell Me It’s Not True from Blood Brothers was played at the service along with Soul Sister by Train, which were songs that Candice loved.

Her friends wore their favourite shoes as Candice, who worked at The Stables Nursery, in Lower Whitley, loved shoes and handbags.

Candice was a musical theatre graduate. She co-wrote a show, The Flower Whose Essence Is Dead, which was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2006, and worked with a touring theatre company in Chorley.

Karen added: “We adore talking about Candice.

“Once she said that she thought she had ran over Stuart Little after running over a mouse. She was still in touch with her childhood. She never wanted to grow up. She was the funniest person.

“It is really easy to talk about her. It makes me glow because I feel like she is with me.”

Candice’s family is raising awareness of the illness and funds for research into the syndrome.

They hope to offer memorial performing arts workshops to infant school children and create a memorial award for pupils at Bridgewater High School.