Family devastated as 'beautiful' girl dies three years after big brother

The heartbroken mum of a girl who died three years after the sudden death of her big brother has paid tribute to her "beautiful" daughter. Alexander Cooper died suddenly on Boxing Day 2021, aged just three, after becoming "a bit unwell".

On Thursday, September 19, his sister Isabelle also lost her life, less than a year after the family discovered she had the same rare genetic disorder as her brother. In a post on X, their mum Dr Emily Cooper, a lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, 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."

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Alexander's death was "unexplained" for almost two years after there had been few signs anything was wrong. The three-year-old had celebrated Christmas the day before and his family told how he had been perfectly fine, Wales Online reports.

He had spent Christmas Day opening presents and had been dancing with his little brother Freddie, then two, to the Masked Singer. The following day Emily had taken Freddie for a walk and returned home to find emergency services outside the house.

Alexander was taken to hospital but died later that evening. Following his death his devastated parents began to raise awareness of sudden deaths in children helping the charity Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood UK.

The family was left with no answers for the cause of his sudden death for almost two years but then, towards the end of last year, doctors discovered Alexander had a rare genetic disorder, PPA2 mutation, that both his mother and father, Darren Bowes, are carriers for. Heartbreakingly it meant their three other children were also at risk of having the disorder.

Emily was then pregnant and after tests it was found Freddie and the couple's then unborn daughter were both free of the condition, but Isabelle was affected. Writing on X last December she said: "Everything is still so uncertain and new at the moment, we just watch and wait. She is thankfully symptomless so far, & we've been told that children in families who have inherited this are affected very differently. We have to hope that she'll be one of those who largely live a normal life."

The family were gifted a defibrillator in case she had a sudden heart issue and they told how they were "armed with this knowledge" which meant they could do things to help protect her including going teetotal and avoiding vinegar as well as any stomach bugs. Emily added: "Mostly, we just need to give her as happy and normal a life as we can, and take each day as it comes, & we'll do just that."