Girl who died of cancer left secret message for family

"She never mentioned it, but it’s the kind of thing she’d do,” Athena’s father, Dean, told the UK’s Daily Mail. “She was a very spiritual person, she’d go on about stuff that I could never understand – she was so clever."

Here are a few of the heartfelt messages Athena left behind:

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”

“Maybe it’s not about the happy ending, maybe it’s about the story.”

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose. ”

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. Happiness is a direction not a destination. ”

“Thank you for existing. Be happy, be free, believe, forever young. ”

“You know my name, not my story. ”

“You have heard what I’ve done, but not what I’ve been through. ”

“Love is like glass, looks so lovely, but it’s easy to shatter. ”

“Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change. ”

“Every day is special, so make the most of it. You could get a life-ending illness tomorrow so make the most of every day. ”

“Life is only bad if you make it bad. ”

“If someone loves you then they wouldn’t let you slip away no matter how hard the situation is. ”

“Remember that life is full of ups and downs, without the downs the ups don’t mean anything. ”

“I’m waiting to fall in love with someone I can open my heart to. ”

“Love is not about who you can see spending your future with it’s about who you can’t see spending your life without. ”