The death of a remarkable young woman, who inspired everyone she met, has prompted an outpouring of grief.

Jodie Vasquez, from Currock, Carlisle, was just 15 when she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The rare condition affects the connective tissues, with each person displaying different symptoms.

In Jodie’s case, it caused a number of her organs to fail.

Despite this, she remained upbeat and her smiley disposition never failed to inspire joy in anyone who met her.

Jodie died at Eden Valley Hospice in Carlisle on Saturday morning, aged 25, surrounded by her family.

Announcing the news on the Jodie’s Journey Facebook page - the umbrella name for Jodie’s many fundraising endeavours - her family wrote: “Our brave and beautiful Princess sadly passed away in the hospice and we are absolutely heartbroken.

“She was too precious for this world and gained her angel wings far too early. She will never be forgotten and will always be forever loved.”

In the 10 years since her diagnosis, she has endured multiple operations and battled serious health problems.

A largely “invisible illness”, for anyone who met Jodie they would have been unaware of the daily pain she put up with. Instead, being inspired by her tireless efforts to raise funds and awareness for numerous good causes.

To many, she was best known as the Poppy Princess, for The Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal.

The charity stepped in to help fund the creation of a purpose-built sterile unit on the side of her family home, where she could be fed directly through a line into her heart. This extension allowed her to come home, under the care of mum Maxine Farish.

Determined to show her appreciation, Jodie donned a specially-made Poppy Princess dress and could be found alongside the mayor at fundraisers or charity collections, or even giving out certificates or thank you letters.

Margaret Wadsworth, from the Carlisle Poppy Appeal, said: “Jodie amazed us all with her courage and determination to get on and do things.

“She was a wonderful young lady, very committed to the Poppy Appeal and all the charities she supported, and she would do anything for them.

“Jodie was also so brave: however much she was suffering, she always had a smile for everybody. And she will be remembered for that smile.”

Tony Parrini, from the RBL, added: “She was a great ambassador for the Royal British Legion, and she was a brilliant girl.

“She played the part of Poppy Princess, promoting the appeal, extremely well.

“She will be sadly missed by us all, but what a legacy she has left. We loved her a lot.”

In addition to her Poppy Princess activities, Jodie also raised tens of thousands of pounds first for the Sick Children’s Trust - which provides home-from-home support for the families of children in hospital - and latterly for Jigsaw, the Carlisle-based children's hospice, where she loved to spend time.

Jane Featherstone, chief executive of the Sick Children’s Trust, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear that Jodie has passed away, she was such an inspiration to everyone at The Sick Children’s Trust.

“We are so grateful to her and her family for the thousands of pounds that they raised over the years for our ‘Home from Home’ Crawford House.

“Jodie always put others first and after we supported her family she dedicated so much time to fundraising for Crawford House to make sure no child faced hospital treatment alone.

“We are sending all our love to her parents, family and friends. Jodie will always have a special place in our hearts.”

Jodie had been in hospital for much of this year, following complications after surgery. While she could not be out and about, her twin sister Emma asked for donations for Jigsaw to mark their 25th birthday, with more than £5,300 being raised within days.

Jodie’s fundraising efforts saw her nominated for an ITV Pride of Britain award, as well as allowing her to meet various celebrities.

These ranged from Tom Jones and Boyzone’s Ronan Keating - both playing gigs in Carlisle - to Britain’s Got Talent winners and global superstars Collabro - starring Carlisle’s very own Matt Pagan.

He told the News & Star: “Jodie came to our very first tour - we got her and her mum tickets - and we met her quite a few times. I’ve told the Collabro boys the sad news, and they all devastated at the news.

“She was genuinely the loveliest person: she was just nice to be around.

“I think that as a city, because of how many people Jodie affected in such a really nice way, this is a really hard hit for Carlisle.”

As she became more unwell, she enjoyed creating precious family memories, including a visit from her own “unicorn”.