Tara Lyons and Daniel O’Sullivan of Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, were over the moon when their baby girl Sofia was welcomed into the world. Having a son already, their family seemed complete with Sofia’s arrival.
The little girl reached all the milestones and was a happy and healthy baby. Or at least they thought so.
When she reached a year old, Sofia was already able to express her bubbly personality. She enjoyed watching Moana and would laugh with her favorite characters while she made silly faces to the rest of them.
Her mom said “Even though some people don’t think they have personalities at that age, she really did – she was so funny and cheeky and sassy.”
When she turned a year and a half, Sofia could already crawl, then walk, and she could even utter many words. Simply put, she made her family’s world a better place.
Little Sofia even had her own room with grey mountains painted on the walls, a pile of books, and a stack of pink and leopard print cushions and blankets. She was loved and adored by everyone who has ever met her.
One day, Sofia seemed to be acting a bit odd. She didn’t want her toast and she could barely open her eyes. It appeared she had a cold as she had the sniffs. Sensing that something could be wrong, her parents took her to the hospital where doctors ran a bunch of tests.
Unfortunately, Tara and Daniel received some heart-shattering news. Sofia was diagnosed with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM), a rare brain condition characterized by an abnormal connection between the arteries and veins, disrupting blood circulation.
Before that particular moment, Sofia seemed perfectly fine. Nothing about her health or behavior spoke trouble, so they never assumed she could be sick.
Doctors did all in their power to help her, but to no avail. Just six days after she was admitted to the Great Osmond Street Hospital in London, Sofia’s life support was switched off.
“All I could hear as I held Sofia was Frozen’s Let it Go in the background and I’m not sure what it was, but I looked at Dan and we knew it was time. It broke my heart,” Tara said.
Now that their beautiful angel was gone forever, devastated Tara and Daniel needed to gather strength to share the tragic news with their son Leo. How could they tell him that his little sister passed away?
“I walked in to the hospital with my one and a half year old, and left with a box of memories,” heartbroken Tara said.
In order to honor her daughter’s short but meaningful life, Tara contacted Bloodhound Books, where she worked as a publisher. She truly wanted to do something meaningful, and they agreed to step in, so the book titled Written in the Stars that got published on what supposed to be Sofia’s third birthday had a beautiful cover honoring the beautiful girl’s life.
“The cover of the book has a little girl reaching for the stars and it looks like Sofia, in such a gentle and sweet way that was just like her.”
This mother wants her daughter to be remembered as a beautiful, Moana-loving girl who made their lives a bit brighter.
Rest in peace, little angel.
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Bored Daddy
Love and Peace