THE family of a young pre-school assistant who ‘loved life’ have spoken of the huge hole left by her sudden death.

Anna Jones, 24, of Witney, died at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford last week after her heart stopped while recovering from spinal surgery.

She was a teaching assistant at Cogges Pre-school in Witney and was a keen fundraiser, horse rider and horror film fan.

Although she had several medical conditions including curvature of the spine, which meant she could not walk far, her family said she lived life to the full and was looking forward to the future.

Her mother, Wendy Jones, said: “Anna was just a loving, caring, warm, wonderful girl and she filled our lives with joy. The most wonderful thing about our daughter was that on October 13 she registered to become an organ donor without us knowing.

“That was what she was , kindness to the end. She was just a superstar and was our hero.”

Mrs Jones added: “The day after she died I could not sleep and went into her bedroom and found her book.

“I opened it and found this quote: ‘In the end, it is not going to matter how many breaths you take but how many moments take your breath away.’ “It was the only quote in the book and it was as if to say: ‘This is for you, mum’.

“She was wonderful, absolutely amazing, and life will never be the same, ever. She has left a huge hole. Our hearts are broken in two.”

The family have receivedmore than 100 cards from well-wishers.

Miss Jones was a keen fundraiser for the John Radcliffe Hospital, had competed in and won dressage events with the Riding for the Disabled Association when she was younger and loved horror films, particularly the Saw series, and her five-year-old labrador springer cross, Bindi.

She was brought up in Witney and attended Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Henry Box School and Abingdon and Witney College, where she gained a diploma in pre-school practice.

Henry Box deputy headteacher David Bell said: “Anna had a fantastic, bubbly personality. The staff remember her very fondly.”

He said Miss Jones, who used a mobility scooter, had been a “pioneer” in helping the school rethink its access policy so she could take part in activities.

For the last four years, Miss Jones had worked at Cogges pre-school, where she was also the special needs co-ordinator.

Mrs Jones said: “Anna loved her job and adored the children. She called them her babies.”

But she said her daughter had been making plans for her future and had been retaking her maths GCSE in order to study speech therapy at university.

Miss Jones went in for a planned operation at the John Radcliffe Hospital to correct the curvature in her spine on October 18.

The surgery was a success, but while recovering in a hospital ward, her heart suddenly stopped on October 23. The cause of death is not known.

An inquest into her death was opened and adjourned at Oxford Coroner’s Office on Monday. It will take place next year.

Miss Jones leaves her parents, Wendy and Phillip, and sisters, Lindsay, 29, and Beth, 21. A funeral service will be held at High Street Methodist Church in Witney on November 6 from 12pm.