Poppy Eagle was a vibrant, loving and generous student home for the summer when, horrifyingly, she died suddenly. Despite no known history of cardiac problems, her heart had stopped and she couldn't be revived despite the best efforts of family and the emergency services. The 20-year-old fashion student left behind four siblings and parents Vicki and Peter, each grieving in their own way.
Since her death - on August 7 this year - her family have established the Poppy's Light Foundation, a charity with the aim of improving both bereavement support and cardiac screening for children and young people. The idea is that whatever caused Poppy's heart to stop could potentially have been picked up through screening - and her loved ones want to do anything they can to stop another family experiencing the same devastation. Approaching their first Christmas without Poppy, the Eagles - who live in Washington - are keeping busy, but feeling her painful absence acutely.
Mum Vicki told ChronicleLive : "Poppy's Light fundraising has been such a success and there's a real comfort in that. "What we have found is that there is really not a great deal of support around for bereaved children. Poppy was such a loving person, so vibrant, so full of light.
So the charity is a way of keeping that light shining while doing something that can support other children. "Along with that there's the cardiac screening - for us it's the idea that screening could have at least given us some information that mi.
