It is hard to predict what will happen each day, but most days are variations on a theme.
Friday 19th of May 2011 felt like a normal day when I woke up, but I never went to sleep that night. At 8.00pm I was informed by a police officer that my little sister Sophia, 19 years old, had died.
Disbelief was the main feeling I felt. How could that be true? I spoke to her on the phone last night! How can this have happened?! How can she not be here any more?!
Sophia was at university, about to do her end of year exams. She was healthy! Nothing made any sense.
It wasn’t until a few weeks later that we found out about Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS) also known as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
It became clear that Sophia’s heart stopped beating while she was asleep.
I felt lost. I was in contact with Sophia nearly every day. We never needed a reason to get in touch.
The night before she died we were chatting on the phone for ages, laughing a lot. I remember going to sleep feeling happy.
Nearly 3 years on, I would love to rewind time and prevent her death but I know that is not possible.
I consider myself very lucky to have Sophia as my sister and thinking of her will always make me smile. I am sad Sophia is not here to have more of the great life I know she would have had.
Sophia is frozen in time at 19 but her memory lives on in the hearts of her family and friends.
Natasha Forrester
