A mother of seven who “dedicated her life to helping others” has died after having an asthma attack outside her family home.

Tracey Virgo, 43, collapsed on the doorstep of her Portslade home following a shopping trip to Asda.

Doctors at the Royal Sussex County Hospital put the animal lover on life support but she died just a few days later.

Friends and family paid tribute to the mother describing her as “an angel sent from heaven”.

They told howshe volunteered at the Lost Cats animal sanctuary in Mile Oak where she worked around the clock unpaid.

Ex-partner Baz Davey, 49, said: “She will be missed by all.

“As soon as she opened her eyes in the morning she was down there.

“She just loved cats and wanted to help animals that had been mistreated.

“She often helped out at the charity shop too.

“She was happy to help with anything.

“We were at the hospital every single day [when she was on life support].

“I just want her to be remembered as a great mum. She was one of the best.”

Her son Luke, 23, added: “She was a really good person.”

Lost Cats founder, Ron Ayres, described her as “the nicest possible person”.

He added: “She would be here from 7am in the morning to 9pm at night. She dedicated her life to helping others.

“She just loved looking after the cats. She sometimes worked through the night looking after the kittens. She hand-reared some of them, she just loved them.

“I’m absolutely devastated, she meant everything to me.”

The 73-year-old said that Mrs Virgo had been shopping at the Hollingbury Asda with a friend when she started feeling ill.

She went back home before having an asthma attack on the doorstep. She was dependant on a life support machine until May 23.

Mr Ayres, who has suffered two heart attacks in the last year, was planning to retire and hand the running of Lost Cats over to Tracey.

He said: “When she started a couple of years ago it was like I had been sent an angel for heaven. Now she’s gone. It’s just terrible.”

Her funeral is being held at the Downs Crematorium in Brighton on June 14.

Any donations are asked to be made to Lost Cats.