A HEARTBROKEN family have paid tribute to their “beautiful” little girl who tragically died three years after her brother.
Isabelle Cooper passed away in the early hours of yesterday morning, after being diagnosed with the same rare genetic disorder as her sibling Alexander.
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In a heart-wrenching statement on X, mum Dr Emily Cooper wrote: “We are devastated to say that our beautiful Isabelle died in the early hours of this morning.
“We are absolutely broken. However, we want you all not to think of her death, but to honour her by living life as she did: fearlessly, joyously & spontaneously.”
Dr Cooper and her husband had four children before the tragic loss of Isabelle this month, and the death of son Alexander in 2021.
The devastated family previously opened up about the toll Alexander’s death, after he suffered a cardiac arrest, had on them.
After being told of his diagnosis, Emily was informed her other three children, Isabelle, Freddie and an unborn daughter, could be at risk of the same fate.
Emily said: “After all this time there’s something to explain what happened to our lovely boy.
“The gene mutation – you sort of naturally assume it’s only something that would have happened to him.
“But as the call went on I realised it’s actually a recessive inherited condition, and I realised that oh no, it was a recessive that the other children are at risk.”
Genetic testing later revealed Isabelle carried the gene, however Freddie, and her then unborn daughter were unaffected.
The family carried a defibrillator with them, donated by the Oliver King Foundation, after learning of Isabelle’s condition.
Emily previously spoke to ITV about Alexander’s death and said he’d complained of a tummy bug on Christmas Day, but appeared to recover by Boxing Day.
The mum took her other son out for a walk, but returned home in shock to see ambulances in their drive.
She said: “Somebody said Alexander had had a seizure… I got to the hospital and was told my husband had done a heroic job of CPR at home, on his own, they’d managed to get his heart going again, but they just couldn’t sustain it.
“I watched them withdraw CPR and he died.”
The family were in “disbelief” as their little boy had displayed no symptoms of any illness before his passing.
They now want to raise awareness and for others to be given access to genetic testing to avoid going through the same trauma they have.
Emily’s family were able to get the testing after Alexander’s death through the charity SUDC – sudden unexplained death in childhood.
Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS)
Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) are genetic heart conditions that can cause sudden death in young, apparently healthy, people.
Although symptoms vary somewhat among the different types of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, common symptoms include:
- Fainting or having a seizure while exercising, excited or afraid.
- Chest pain during exercise.
- Shortness of breath while exercising.
Types of SADS conditions
- Brugada syndrome
- Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT)
- Long QT syndrome
- Short QT syndrome
- Timothy syndrome
- Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Treatments vary depending on the type of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.
If someone in your family has sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, check with your healthcare provider about having others in your family tested for the genetic mutation.
They can help you figure out who should get tested.
Having family members who know how to do CPR and have an automatic external defibrillator (AED) at home can help reduce risk.
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