The devastated mum of a student who died in uni halls of residence has declared ‘I don’t know that my heart will ever recover’ – after she was discovered on her birthday.
Olivia Bettney, 20, was found dead on August 13, just hours before she and her sister Mollie Holborow were due to take mum Susan Burfoot out for her 64th birthday.
The mother was concerned when her ‘family-oriented’ daughter hadn’t wished her ‘happy birthday’ at midnight as usual, but assumed the first-year psychology and counselling student was tired.
But after calling University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s to check on her, the family were heartbroken to discover she’d died in her sleep.
While her cause of death is not confirmed it’s believed it could be linked to her type 1 diabetes, which caused her to go blind last year.
Ms Holborow has now created a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for her sister’s funeral costs.
And her heartbroken mother Ms Burfoot, who shared her daughter’s ‘big love’ for Taylor Swift, now wants to ‘keep her daughter’s legacy alive’ by sharing her story.
The teaching assistant, from Gorseinon, Swansea, Wales, said: ‘I don’t know that my heart will ever recover.

Olivia Bettney (right) was found dead on August 13, just hours before she and her sister Mollie Holborow were due to take mum Susan Burfoot (left) out for her 64th birthday

The mother (right) was concerned when her ‘family-oriented’ daughter hadn’t wished her ‘happy birthday’ at midnight as usual, but assumed the first-year psychology and counselling student (left) was tired

But after calling University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s to check on her, the family were heartbroken to discover she’d died in her sleep. Pictured: Ms Bettney
‘She had so much she wanted to do and I just can’t get it. All we know is that she went to sleep and didn’t wake up and that’s all we know.
‘It was just a normal day as we were concerned. Olivia would normally text me around midnight to say “happy birthday” or ring me and that didn’t happen.
‘She’d been to a festival and she’d had a good time and I knew she got home safe so I thought, “She’s probably knackered”.
‘She was so family-oriented, which is why we didn’t understand why we hadn’t heard from her.
‘I went around my day like normal but I knew I needed to be ready because the girls were planning something lovely for me.
‘Mollie rang [the university accommodation] first and then I rang.
‘I said, “Please call us and tell her to text us otherwise my birthday is going to be rubbish”.
‘One or two police officers came to the door [later] and explained what had happened.

While her cause of death is not confirmed it’s believed it could be linked to her type 1 diabetes , which caused her to go blind last year. Pictured: Ms Bettney, left, after her eye surgery, with Ms Holborow, right

Ms Holborow (right, at her wedding with her sister, left, and their mother, centre) has now created a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for her sister’s funeral costs

Her heartbroken mother Ms Burfoot (right, with Ms Bettney, left), who shared her daughter’s ‘big love’ for Taylor Swift , now wants to ‘keep her daughter’s legacy alive’ by sharing her story
‘I just looked at them and said, “This is a joke”. I couldn’t stop shaking and was in denial, we’re looking for answers now as to why.
‘As a family we wanted to be as close to her as we could.
‘We arrived outside the residence and we just sat outside and waited until they brought her tiny little body out.
‘She was just perfect and so humble and kind.
‘My biggest love with Olivia is that she’s a Taylor Swift fan. We wore thirteen on our hands because that’s what Taylor does.
‘She was always proud of the fact my birthday was on the 13th and it’s Taylor’s number but that’s not my birthday anymore [after this].
‘She was the kindest soul. She wanted to counsel children and young people with bereavement [after her dad died when she was seven] and wanted to open her own practice and wanted to go into schools.’
Training specialist Ms Holborow said they are waiting to discover the cause of death and are currently planning Ms Bettney’s funeral.

The teaching assistant (left, with Ms Bettney, right), from Gorseinon, Swansea, Wales, said: ‘I don’t know that my heart will ever recover’

The mother (pictured with Ms Bettney going to see Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour) continued: ‘My biggest love with Olivia is that she’s a Taylor Swift fan. We wore thirteen on our hands because that’s what Taylor does’
!['She was always proud of the fact my birthday was on the 13th and it's Taylor's number but that's not my birthday anymore [after this]', she added. Pictured: Ms Bettney](https://www.americanpolibeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/1755895579_312_Mothers-agony-as-daughter-20-dies-in-her-sleep-in.jpeg)
‘She was always proud of the fact my birthday was on the 13th and it’s Taylor’s number but that’s not my birthday anymore [after this]’, she added. Pictured: Ms Bettney
She explained: ‘It’s a devastating loss for our entire family.
‘She’s left behind my three children. Nobody expects to go and find their sister or daughter passed away in their student accommodation.
‘We don’t know [her cause of death] but we think that it’s likely it was due to her diabetes.
‘I’ve been in a place where I wanted to sleep and wake up when it’s all over.
‘Since I posted [the GoFundMe page] last night and all the love started flooding in and seeing the generosity made me want to get up in the morning for the first time since this happened.
‘It made me feel a little bit of happiness.
‘She had bright blue hair and when I got married, I asked her to dye her hair brown. She was her own person and she said, “No, that’s not me”. I’m so glad she did now.’
Ms Burfoot hopes the GoFundMe page will help to give her daughter ‘the best possible send off’ as well as bring their community together.

Training specialist Ms Holborow (right, with Ms Bettney, left) said they are waiting to discover the cause of death and are currently planning Ms Bettney’s funeral

She explained: ‘It’s a devastating loss for our entire family’. Pictured: Ms Bettney, left, with her mother, second left, and Ms Holborow, right

‘She’s left behind my three children. Nobody expects to go and find their sister or daughter passed away in their student accommodation’, she continued. Pictured: Ms Burfoot, left, with Ms Holborow, second left, and her children, with Ms Bettney, right
She said: ‘The only solace we have at the moment is that she’s with her dad. It’s a comfort.
‘We’re hoping to give Liv the best possible send off. We’re quite amazed at the impact she’s had on people.
‘Because she’s our little Liv we didn’t realise how special she was to people.
‘Just to know people are thinking of her and we can see positive things. It’s not the monetary value, it’s about letting them know how much she meant to us.’
University of Wales Trinity St David’s and South Wales Central Coroner’s Service have been contacted for comment.