Her mother, Julie Little, described Tessa as an outgoing child with an infectious smile.
"She was very cheeky, loved singing. She really loved animals and pets. Absolutely loved them."
The loss of their beloved daughter to a cancerous brain tumour in March on the day she was due to start chemotherapy has left the Invercargill couple feeling numb.
Now they want to help families facing similar challenges.
Ms Little and her partner, Tyler Titchmarsh, are raising money for the Child Cancer Foundation with a Wig Wednesday event today.
Their two other daughters, Rosie and Gracie, were also taking part in the fundraiser and planned to wear wigs.
Ms Little said Tessa was diagnosed two and a-half weeks before her death and spent time in Invercargill, Auckland and Christchurch.
The first sign that something was wrong with Tessa was a lazy eye.
Mr Titchmarsh had a similar issue when he was young and had corrective surgery to fix it.
"We just thought ... it’s gonna be the same," Ms Little said.
However, it became clear something else was going on as her eye progressively got worse and eventually swelled up.
She spent a week at Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland and had been her "normal self".
"She was tired and in pain, but she was still up, moving, talking and you know, just being herself and the nurses in Auckland saw that."
But upon reaching Christchurch her condition worsened.
Mr Titchmarsh described it as "a hit to the system".
"We weren't expecting her to pass away that quickly.
"It was definitely one of the hardest days I’ve ever had. I didn’t know what to do.
"I wouldn't hope anyone would ever be in that situation, but unfortunately it happens more than you think."
He encouraged people to make the most of the time they had with their family.
"People won’t be around forever . . . "
It was his idea to start the Wig Wednesday fundraiser, as the Child Cancer Foundation had assisted the couple and provided support and organised events in Invercargill for families that had dealt with similar situations, he said.
"It's been a huge relief."
Before the death of his daughter he did not consider himself a charitable person, but that all changed.
"It gives you a new perspective on how hard it is for people to deal with cancer, especially in young children. It’s really eye-opening."
Now, they hoped to raise awareness about what the foundation can do for people and let them know there was help, he said.
The aim was to raise $2000 and every dollar raised would go towards supporting children with cancer and their families.
As of yesterday, they had raised $1810.52 on the Wig Wednesday fundraiser website with a cake raffle and bucket appeal at Tessa’s former kindergarten. A Wig Wednesday at Waverly Park School will also contribute to the fund.
