Donna was born in Cornwall & spent her early childhood years there. When she did speak about that time her life it was apparent it was an idyllic period & that she came from a loving family, her parents June & Tom and brother Anton. She enjoyed living in a small community & the freedoms that came along with that. A proficient rider, she was fortunate that the family property was large enough that she could own her own pony & later her horse “Apple”.
It was also from a young age that she developed her passion for travel. The family travelled abroad extensively & by the age of 10 there wasn’t a country in Europe she hadn’t visited. These family holidays continued well into the teenage years even though both Donna & Anton were attending boarding school. In some respects she loved being away at school, she developed some long lasting friendships, it taught her to be independent & by all accounts she was a good scholar, outstanding in music, sports & athletics. She did suffer severe bouts of homesickness’, missing her parents, her horse & her old life in general.
It was during her final years of school that her modelling career started to take off. Whilst extremely photogenic she soon discovered that she didn’t have the flair or aptitude to become a run way model & that it wasn’t as glamorous as it appeared. Still, as part time work goes, it suited her at the time. It paid well enough & the hours were flexible to fit in with Uni.
When she finished her studies, & with a marketing degree under her belt, she then began to indulge her love of travel & photography, sometimes travelling with friends, more often setting out on her own. Her first working holiday was 3-4 months in Canada, followed closely by Europe, Northern Africa & the Middle East. Interspaced between these trips Donna returned to London for several months at a time to see family, friends & save up a few more £’s for the next trip.
In her late twenties Donna embarked on her biggest trip to date, NZ & Australia. She initially planned to spend 12 months exploring both countries but spent the 1st 12 months just travelling around NZ alone. A brief trip home to the UK for a few weeks & she headed back down under, this time to Australia. After another year away she then returned back to London. She soon got back into the swing of her old life fairly quickly. Temping work, a hectic social life & most weekends back in Cornwall. She met J not long after returning home & they started dating on a semi casual basis.
I haven’t mentioned dating or relationships up to this point, mainly because Donna stated she never pursued any long term or serious ones during this time. Although a true romantic at heart she didn’t meet anyone during that time that she could envision spending the rest of her life with.
Just as the romance between her & J was starting to blossom she was offered her dream job, which meant relocating to Europe. She loved the job but found the long distance relationship stressful. A few months later everything turned pear shaped. At just the tender age of 30 Donna was diagnosed with an aggressive form of MS. She didn’t let it get her down for long though, which speaks volumes about her character & attitude towards life. After being accepted for a clinical trial for stem cell treatment she moved to Switzerland. J surprised her (and us all, I imagine) with a wedding on the 4th July 2009. Not many would-be brides would be too thrilled I imagine to find out the wedding was set for the next day & all organised with out her input, but Donna took that all in her stride.
She wasn't able to join J, who had taken a job Hong Kong at that stage, until November. Although she was hoping they would return to the UK she made the best of the situation & after a few months really started to enjoy the lifestyle there. She discovered around Christmas time that she was pregnant & also that the pregnancy was a high risk to her health. Sadly that was a decision that didn't pay off.
The last time we spoke she told me that she was grateful to have had the support of her family & friends, both old & new. She met many new people online & treasured each & every one of you.
Please Note: If there is any information that needs correcting or I have omitted from this brief bio please do not hesitate to e-mail me. Many Thanks Angie