A 15-year-old boy desperately tried to save his mother's life after she stopped breathing during a nap. Sophie Whitehurst, 33, was pronounced dead by paramedics at her home in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday.
The mother-of-three had been up all night caring for her baby and decided to take a nap before watching a football match with her son Connor. When Connor later went into her bedroom, he found his mum wasn't breathing and began CPR immediately.
Despite his efforts, Sophie, who suffered from epilepsy, could not be saved. She leaves behind Connor, Allie-May, 16, and baby Harper. Her cause of death has not yet been officially confirmed.
Neighbour's desperate efforts
Neighbour Sophia Berrow, 20, witnessed the tragedy and also tried to save Sophie's life. She told The Sentinel: "I live with my boyfriend and his family, who have lived next door to Sophie for 13 years. We're all really close. Everyone on the street loved Sophie. She was the life of the party! She was so beautiful, bubbly, and friendly and she always put her kids first. You couldn't picture Sophie without thinking of her kids."
Ms Berrow explained that Sophie "often" had seizures when she was feeling tired. Her dog was trained to alert people when she was having one. "She was doing quite well recently and wasn't getting seizures as often. And when she did have a seizure she would come around quite quickly," she said.
What happened on Saturday
Ms Berrow added: "Sophie had decided to go for a nap because she'd been up all night with the baby. She was meant to be watching the Stoke City game with her son later that day, so she wanted to be refreshed for it. Sophie went into her room and fell asleep."
"She had the bedroom window open and we think the breeze shut the door. That meant her dog wasn't inside with her. Everything was quiet upstairs and everyone assumed she was just asleep. Connor went upstairs to ask her something. He opened the door and saw that something wasn't right. Sophie wasn't breathing. Connor began CPR straight away while Allie-May went to get help."
Ms Berrow, who is training to be a veterinary nurse and is qualified in human and animal CPR, heard the commotion and went to help. She said: "I took Sophie off the bed to continue doing CPR on the floor. But it was clear to me straightaway that something was seriously wrong. I performed CPR for 18 minutes until the paramedics arrived and took over. They carried on for 30 minutes before they told everyone the awful news."
Devastated children
Ms Berrow said the news devastated Sophie's children. "Everything went by in a total blur. Part of me knew she wasn't going to make it, but I was hoping for a miracle. Hearing she'd passed away was absolutely awful. It still doesn't feel real," she said.
"Sophie's kids were in the living room when the news was delivered. I had gone back next door with my mum. When we were told the immediate family had been asked to wait, I knew it was bad news. Then I heard them all screaming and breaking down. I've never heard something so awful. I broke down too."
Fundraiser for funeral
Ms Berrow has launched a fundraiser to give Sophie a "really, really good funeral" and allow her children to say goodbye properly. She said: "My biggest worry after the news had sunk in was that her children wouldn't get to give her a good send-off. Nobody wants a council funeral to be the last memory of their mum. They deserve to say goodbye properly. Any money that is left over will go to the kids too. I know that Sophie's biggest concern would be what would happen to the kids. So our priority has to be supporting them and making sure they're looked after. That's what this is all about."
Ms Berrow said Sophie's children have received a "massive outpouring of support". "They're still absolutely distraught, but having that support is definitely helping," she said. So far, the page has raised more than £4,700 out of its £7,000 goal from 255 donations.
