Veggie Nook co-owner Tash Lukic is being remembered for her kind heart

Co-owner of the Veggie Nook in Bowral, Natasha Lukic, went into hospital at the end of June for a headache but scans revealed "a mass" in the middle of her brain with doctors unable to do anything to save her.

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Mrs Lukic came home to her chef husband Nick later in the week but sadly passed away on Saturday July 2.

Her mother Joanna Leglise said the outpouring of community support is helping the family deal with their grief.

"We always knew our girl was brilliant and awesome and great, but the community has shown us how much more she has been involved with," she said.

"A huge amount of people have reached out to us and gone 'this is what your daughter did for us', and we just never knew because she was just so modest and didn't toot her own trumpet."

Mrs Leglise said even as a child her daughter was passionate about the environment and helping her brother overcome some medical issues, but said she didn't realise just how many people's hearts she had touched.

"I called her my 'little tree-hugging hippie' because she was involved in a lot of causes: save the children, save the world, save the animals, save the plants, save the bees," Mrs Leglise said.

"When she was in dark times ... she always underestimated herself and I think she'd be looking down on this going 'oh my God, I never realised'."

Mrs Lukic was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was 25 and went through numerous surgeries over the next five years.

Not long after her 30^th birthday in 2022, she had to undergo another operation which turned to infection, though her cousin Jess Kerr said they never expected the end would come so soon.

Ms Kerr set up a GoFundMe fundraising campaign when she was hospitalised two weeks ago as husband Nick had to close their cafe, their only livelihood, while he was by her side.

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As of Sunday, more than $12,000 had been donated, a complete surprise to the family.

"One client of the Veggie Nook just donated $500 which is really amazing with what's going on in the world at the moment," Ms Kerr said.

"People can hardly afford petrol, and they're doing that for her, it's amazing."

A funeral will be held at Colo Vale Community Centre on Wednesday July 13, 1.30pm.

The family is asking people to forgo flowers and donate to the charity Cure Brain Cancer Australia instead.

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