Tragedy as cancer sufferer, 14, dies just days after she was granted a dream prom in her hospital room as part of her bucket list

• Katelyn Norman suffered from osteosarcoma for two years and doctors told her last week that there was nothing more they could do
• She drew up a bucket list of activities, including attending a prom
• It was held in her hometown on Tuesday but she had to be hospitalized
  
• Just hours after her death, a fundraising event organized to send her to Italy instead turned into a celebration of her life
  

By Lydia Warren and David Mccormack

PUBLISHED: 14:47 EST, 29 March 2013 | UPDATED: 02:42 EST, 30 March 2013

A 14-year-old cancer sufferer who touched the hearts of people across the country with her unwavering determination to complete a bucket list before her death has passed away.

Katelyn Norman died peacefully at East Tennessee Children's Hospital at 8.19am on Friday. She had been fighting osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer, for two years but doctors told her it had spread to her heart, arteries, pelvis and spine and that there was nothing more they could do.

On learning the prognosis, Katelyn drew up a bucket list of activities she hoped to complete, including a slow dance, learning to drive a car, spending a day with each of her siblings and visiting Italy.

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Loss: Katelyn Norman, a cancer sufferer whose positivity touched people across the country, has died

Just hours after Katelyn passed away in her sleep, a walk at Jacksboro Middle School that was supposed to be a fundraiser to send Katelyn to Italy, instead celebrated her life, reports WBIR.com.

Organizers say the $1,800 raised will go to help her family with expenses. Dozens of girls wore bright green bows in their hair as a symbol of their support for the teen.

Earlier this week her family and friends had ensured she was able to tick off one desire: Attending a prom.

She was supposed to attend the event in her honor in LaFollette, Tennessee on Tuesday night, but had to be airlifted to hospital earlier in the day after struggling to breathe.

But it did not stop her. Classmates and relatives brought the party to her bedside instead, bringing balloons, music and her smartly-dressed date to make sure she didn't miss out.

Katelyn, who was in a stable condition and high spirits on Tuesday night, was pictured grinning as her date bent down to her hospital bed to present her with her corsage.

Special day: Katelyn Norman, 14, was presented a sash by her date at her prom in hospital on Tuesday night

Dream come true: Her date presented Katelyn, who suffered from terminal bone cancer, with a corsage

Outside the hospital, thousands of people lined along Highway 63 as part of a candle-lit vigil for Katelyn, who had insisted that a party continue in her absence.

A Facebook page supporting Katelyn run by her best friend Brandon Huckaby has been flooded with messages of condolences and love for the family.

Huckaby posted a poem by an unknown author called 'Four Candles' on the Facebook page shortly after Katelyn died that ended with, 'We cherish the special place in our hearts that will always be reserved for you. We thank you for the gift your living brought to each of us. We love you. We remember you.'

One of the other items on Katelyn's bucket list was to see the band Of Mice & Men in concert and get an autographed T-shirt from them.

The band's fans flooded their Facebook page and Twitter accounts with links to Katelyn's story, urging them to reach out to her.

The band's lead vocalist Austin Carlile tweeted about Katelyn earlier in the week and again today.

'I told her not to be afraid because she wouldn't be alone,' Carlile tweeted. 'My mom is already an angel and would be taking care of her.'

'Heaven gained another angel this morning. #RIPKatelynNorman Her light will never go out. She'll always be in my heart. I promised her that,' he wrote.

Teen fighting cancer checks prom off her bucket list

Celebration: Staff and family members gathered for the prom, which was on Katelyn's bucket list

Party: She was supposed to attend a prom in her honour at her school on Tuesday but fell ill earlier in the day

Personal party: Guests tucked into drinks and cake - which was iced with the theme of the party

A fundraising page to help pay for Katelyn's wish list has produced an outpouring of affection and generosity towards the teen. The page has raised more than $80,000, most of which has been donated this week.

Donations will be withdrawn from the site on April 2. The check will be sent to Katelyn and her family, along with copies of all of the messages of support.

The website, GoFundMe.com, takes a percentage from each donation, but the rest of the money will be sent to the family.

Some of the money will go to churches and families that Katelyn wanted to support, she told her mother. The money will also be used to cover funeral expenses.

'I've never seen this community come together quite as much as they have over one single person,' said Sharon Shepherd, an instructor at Katelyn's school and prom coordinator.

'[Katelyn] will change your life. You'll never be the same. She will make an impact on you. She's a jewel. My life will never be the same.'

A motorcycle riding club helped Katelyn check off another item by organizing a ride down Campbell County's main drag, although she was too weak to ride.

Loved: Other friends and community members gathered outside her bedroom window for a vigil

Joy: Katelyn, who has been credited with bringing a community together, looks at the gathering outside

Big day: Katelyn, who had bone cancer, was hospitalized earlier in the day as she struggled to breathe

Smiling until the end: Katelyn, 14, was diagnosed with bone cancer in her arm in May 2011

Healthier days: Friends and family have said that Katelyn was headstrong, upbeat and one-of-a-kind

Katelyn's mother, Erica Nelson, previously said they hoped to complete as many activities as possible as she spent her last days at home.

'I just want to give her what she isn't going to see and just try to fulfill what she wants to do. It's not really much, but it's something to her,' she said.

'We're very grateful that they're wanting to come help Katelyn. She's touched a lot of people.'

Sharon Shepard, the school nurse at Campbell County High School, where Katelyn attends, told ABC News the teenager is unlike anyone else.

'[Katelyn] will change your life,' she said. 'You'll never be the same. She will make an impact on you. She's a jewel. My life will never be the same.

'She's a fighter. She's just very opinionated and very well-spoken, very headstrong, very driven and that's what has gotten her this far.'

Her best friend Brandon Huckaby, 16, added to ABC: 'She's always used her sense of humor and her grab on others to push to make everything better for everyone.

Fighting back: On Tuesday she completed one bucket list item - going to a prom at her school

Family: She said that her siblings, pictured, are struggling to come to terms with her illness

Upbeat: Her friends and family said she stayed positive and confident despite her prognosis

'She doesn't care that she's suffering. She cares that other people are suffering and she wants to stop that.'

He said that, although he's sad about losing his friend, he knows he must help her complete her final wishes. 'This is happening,' he said. 'I'm getting this done.'

Katelyn was diagnosed with the bone cancer in her right arm in May 2011, after a friend punched her arm and it went limp. X-rays revealed abnormal bone and she was found to be suffering from cancer in her arm and nodules in the lungs.

She underwent bone transplants, surgeries of tissue ligaments and chemo for her lungs, but they failed to ward off the illness.