Nikki Ratcliffe was jolted by an urgent call from her brother-in-law, unusual because he typically rang for casual catch-ups. Answering the phone, she was met with a heart-wrenching twist to her reality. "It all happened really quickly," Nikki emotionally explained.
"Tracey, my sister, had been fighting breast cancer for two years and often reassured us during hospital stays that she'd be fine - just needing stabilization before returning home." The most shattering moment came with a phone call. "Then I got that devastating call from my brother-in-law to say she had just hours left to live.
She wanted to die at home, but they didn't get her there in time. Even though I knew it was going to happen, I got angry and broke down. She was 49 with two young children.
" Despite the vast distance between Tracey's home in New Zealand and Nikki, now 52, their bond never waned, fortified by a mutual passion for fashion and shopping sprees in London - sometimes including their "tomboy" sister Michelle Blackburn, 55. The discovery of a small lump in Tracey's breast in 2014, leading to a diagnosis of stage four breast cancer, only strengthened the sisters' connection. " As soon as we found out it had spread , we dropped everything and went to New Zealand to be with her," Michelle shared, reflecting on their unity in the face of tragedy.
More dev astating news "Tracey never spoke about her diagnosis so we didn't really know the full extent of it. She was in denial almost. She wanted to protec.