Mum, 36, dies after suddenly becoming extremely tired and falling asleep on the sofa

A mum-of-six who became extremely tired died eight days after she fell ill. Eileen Azzopardi's family started to worry when she suddenly became lethargic, delirious and unresponsive.

She struggled to remember the password to her phone and fell asleep on the sofa, prompting concerned loved ones to dial 999. She received an urgent blood transfusion in hospital but deteriorated within hours, leaving medics baffled as they tried to work out what was wrong.

The mum was placed into an induced coma while doctors carried out an endoscopy -where a camera is placed inside the body. They discovered part of her bowel had died and later operated in an effort to reattach it.

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But her family was told by doctors at Manchester Royal Infirmary that her body had 'given up' six hours later. The mum, known fondly as Iyeiye, died on April 8 aged 36, Manchester Evening News reports.

Her young daughters - who are aged between 12 and 18 - have been left struggling to process their mum's death. Sister Susan Azzopardi, 30, said: "We have a group chat where we try and comfort them by sharing pictures to keep her memory alive.

"It’s really been awful. I can’t even look at her pictures now without getting upset. It’s seeing my mum lose her child, that’s what kills me.

"We turned her life support machine off and she took her last breath in front of all of us. It was so hard to watch her daughters break down emotionally."

Mum-of-five Susan, who lives in Moston, Manchester, says medics are still not sure how Eileen died. The family is hoping a post-mortem examination will help bring some answers.

Susan said: "When she went into hospital she was awake and talking. She was struggling to talk but told me she needed a hairbrush.

"That was the last time I ever spoke to her. Within hours, she was put into an induced coma."

Eileen, from Audenshaw, Greater Manchester, was known as the 'family comedian' who would 'go out of her way to make everyone happy'. Susan said: "She was a big part of our family. She was always cracking jokes and making everyone smile.

"She loved music and Oasis; she would quite happily sit with headphones on and party to Oasis. She was the family comedian and was always cracking jokes at the worst of times.

"She would go out of her way to make everyone happy." She added: "Surgeons tried their best to save my sister by removing the dead bowel without success.

"Eight days after my sister was taken to hospital, we had no choice but to let her die peacefully as her body had given up. She died in the presence of our mother, siblings, cousin and four of her own children."

A GoFundMe page has been launched in the wake of Eileen's death. Cash raised will support funeral fees.

Susan added: "With this being so unexpected, we don’t have enough to cover her funeral cost. Anything anyone can do to help will be a massive relief for us all.

"Iyeiye was always so happy and the life and soul of the party. I will never be the same again without her. She is truly irreplaceable; we are heartbroken."