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Author Wendy Mitchell has died after battling dementia for years and left a final message announcing her own death.

Ms Mitchell, 68, became a best-selling writer after being diagnosed with early onset dementia and Alzheimer’s in July 2014, at the age of 58.

In a posthumous post shared online, the author revealed how she had taken the decision to refuse to eat or drink any more.

She wrote: “If you’re reading this, it means this has probably been posted by my daughters as I’ve sadly died.”

“In the end I died simply by deciding not to eat or drink any more,” Ms Mitchell wrote. “The last cuppa tea … my final hug in a mug, the hardest thing to let go of, much harder than the food I never craved … This wasn’t decided on a whim of self pity as you’ll discover by reading on.

“Dementia is a cruel disease that plays tricks on your very existence. I’ve always been a glass half full person, trying to turn the negatives of life around and creating positives, because that’s how I cope. Well I suppose dementia was the ultimate challenge.

“Yes, dementia is a bummer, but oh what a life I’ve had playing games with this adversary of mine to try and stay one step ahead.”

This is a breaking new story – more to follow