Stacy Foley: Gold Coast mum’s sudden death shocks cheerleading community

The Gold Coast cheerleading community is mourning a mum following her shock passing while attending her daughters’ competition in Hawaii. Read the tributes

The Gold Coast cheerleading community is mourning a mum who died suddenly while attending her daughters’ competition in Hawaii.

The mum reportedly had “trouble breathing” before her death on Friday, just before the launch of the Global Dance and Cheer Games in Honolulu.

Family and friends have paid tribute to Stacy Foley, while her two young daughters bravely performed in the competition just hours after the tragedy in a tribute to their mum.

Stacy Foley died while attending a cheerleading competition with her daughters in Hawaii.

The Gold Coast family was part of the Burleigh Heads-based ZACS Allstars cheer club which travelled to Hawaii for the competition.

ZACS owner Rachel White said the close cheer community had rallied around the two girls.

She said they were awaiting a report to find out the cause of death.

“It has been quite amazing how the club has supported each other,” Ms White said.

“The girls are home schooled so their mum is their whole life – they are with her 24/7.

“At first we weren’t really sure how they were going to be, but they decided they still wanted to compete – they were like ‘that’s what mum would have wanted us to do’.

“They performed in the competition both days – which is amazing.”

Stacy Foley's daughters performed in the cheer competition in honour of their mum.

Ms White said staff at the hotel where the club was staying contacted the competition organiser to inform them of the tragedy.

Ms White then received the news when the organiser called her at 4am Friday.

“She just had trouble breathing that night – that’s all we know of,” she said.

The girls’ father made an emergency dash to Hawaii to be by their side.

In a tragic twist, the competition was meant to be the start of a “trip of a lifetime” for Ms Foley and her children.

“She had planned and saved for this for four years,” Ms White said.

“They were going to travel across the whole of America for six weeks.”

Ms White started an online fundraising page as a way to “get behind the girls”.

“Imagine coming on this trip of a lifetime and one they had planned and worked towards for so long, only to now be returning home without their mum,” she wrote on the page.

“It is not only expensive, but also traumatic organising and paying for your mum to come home with you to Australia, especially when the girls are so young.

“We are hoping the entire cheer community can get behind these girls and offer the support they are needing right now to be able to return home to Australia with their mum and continue to help rebuild the new life they will have to create.”

Stacy Foley's daughters performed in the cheer competition in honour of their mum.

Tributes have poured in online for Ms Foley, who leaves behind four children.

“Still struggling to come to terms with the loss of my dear friend,” one woman wrote on Facebook.

“From meeting the girls and Stacy many years ago in their early days of cheer, this is devastating news. Sending my love and support to them all,” another woman wrote.

“This is so heartbreaking. I am here with my daughter for competition also,” a mum said.

“I could not imagine what these girls are going through. I am sure their mum would have been extremely proud of her girls.”