A WOMAN is desperately raising money to bury her mother who died more than two months ago.

Eleesha Painter, from Brighton, is struggling to foot the funeral bill and has now turned to crowdfunding for help.

She said she has researched numerous funeral services but they are charging up to £5,000.

The 22-year-old said her mother, Ayshea Nicholls, had battled a series of health problems before she died on August 17 at Eastbourne District General Hospital.

Eleesha, a mother of two, said: “I have done a lot of research and some places charge phenomenal prices, it’s absolutely ridiculous.

“I am just looking for a basic service.

“The cheapest I have found is £2,718.

“This covers transporting Mum from the coroners, burial and a simple service.

“There are places that offer cremation but no service.

“I want to have a service for Mum so other family members can say goodbye to her.

“Around the time Mum passed away, I had just come out of the neonatal intensive care unit in Eastbourne Hospital because my youngest was born 14 weeks early, so it was difficult to arrange everything.”

Eleesha said her mother started to have health problems seven years ago. She said: “She went to the doctors for her regular check-ups and they found there was something wrong with her blood.

“Two years ago, she had aneurysm and had to be airlifted to the King’s Hospital in London.

“She then had two minor heart attacks and kidney problems.

“One kidney was working, but only 50 per cent.”

Ayshea died from urosepsis and severe pyelonephritis, and it was a big shock to her family.

Eleesha, who has sisters aged 17 and 13, said her mother was a loving and caring woman, who was quiet but very family-orientated.

She said: “It was a terrible shock for us all because she was only 43.

“When the coroners did a post-mortem on her they told me she was fighting very hard for her life.

“We don’t have a big family but some have, if they could, chipped in for the funeral cost.

“The service is important to us and I just want to lay my mum to rest.”

To support Eleesha go to gofundme.com/gck89-funeral-costs-for-my-mum.