THE legacy of a “totally dedicated” Essex nurse will burn brightly this week when a special presentation is made in her memory.

Sarah Siggers, who worked on an emergency assessment unit (EAU) at Colchester General Hospital, died aged 30 after bowel cancer spread to her liver.

When Sarah, of Victor Road, Colchester, was told her cancer was terminal she insisted money from her will went to help fund new equipment for the unit.

Her mother Christine Hardy and sister Kerry, 29, will present Sarah’s former colleagues with six oxygen saturation monitors on Thursday, worth �5,000.

Darren Evans, who worked with Sarah for five years before her death in 2010, said: “Sarah was always caring, professional and completely dedicated to the patients under her care and their relatives.

“Even when we were at our busiest, her dedication and devotion did not waver, and could always be seen by the colleagues that worked alongside her. As a nurse, she was a role model and also the kindest person you could ever meet.

“She was immensely popular and had a special quality which meant she had a calming effect on all patients, ranging from elderly patients to the young.”

Sarah, who had also suffered from Crohn’s disease and colitis since she was 19, died at St Helena Hospice, Colchester, on 3 September 2010.

Mrs Hardy, of Eaton Mews, Colchester, paying tribute to her daughter, said: “Sarah really enjoyed helping people and absolutely loved her job. She was totally dedicated.

“She said there were never enough sats monitors on the unit and insisted that money from her estate was used to buy one for every bay.”

The hospital said the monitors are used to watch the amount of oxygen in a patient’s blood, which is a standard test on the EAU.