Family, friends to farewell Natalie Murphy

Family and friends farewell Natalie Murphy. Photo / Richard Robinson.

A funeral has been planned and tributes have flowed for the mother who bravely battled cancer until the end.

Natalie Murphy, who died on Monday afternoon, captured hearts with her determination after being told her breast cancer had spread and she had only two months to live.

The 35-year-old was surrounded by those she loved and passed away peacefully, but the mark she left on others' lives is evident by those who have spoken of her death.

The Mairangi Bay mother found a lump in her breast the day before her son, Jackson, was born two years ago and she was told it was cancer a few months later.

At the start of this month, Mrs Murphy was told she had only two months left to live and so began making the most of what little time she had left.

Mrs Murphy and her husband of almost 10 years, Greg, had planned a New Year's Day ceremony to renew their vows. But they were never given that chance.

A ceremony for Mrs Murphy, which she helped plan herself, will be held at Ellerslie at 2pm on Friday.

Mrs Murphy had even raised funds for the funeral because she did not want her husband to worry about the cost so he could focus on grieving.

Yesterday, hundreds of messages from family, friends and those inspired and touched by her courage were left on Mrs Murphy's Facebook page.

Wendy Leigh Longman said Mrs Murphy had been on her mind since yesterday morning.

"I was sad at the thought of how empty Greg must have felt when he woke up this morning ... we all knew you would be leaving ... but just not so suddenly.

"I told u last week that I would take dinner to Greg and Jackson ... and I promise to still do that in the next few weeks when he is ready to see people," she said.

Darielyne Hansen said her thoughts were with the family and friends of this "amazing woman" who was able to share her story with such feeling.

"You can all be so very proud of this special person, her courage, love and inspiration. Life does not seem fair at times and people we love are taken from this world all too soon, but somehow things happen for a reason ... maybe this courageous woman was sent here to give us all, strangers included, a better understanding of the importance of living each day to the full, having no regrets and caring about one another."

Stephanie Rush, who had never met Mrs Murphy, thanked her for sending her "gorgeous emails".

"What a beautiful lady you are. Thank you so much for sharing your story and changing my life for the better."