‘Beautiful’ mum-of-three, 33, dies suddenly while having a nap as her son, 15, desperately tried to resuscitate her

A “BEAUTIFUL” mum-of-three died suddenly while taking a nap after staying up all night caring for her baby. Tragically her son, 15-year-old Connor, found his mum Sophie Whitehurst, 33, unresponsive in her bedroom and desperately tried to bring her back to life. Sophie Whitehurst, of Meir, leaves behind daughters Ellie-Mai (R), Harper (C) and son Connor Credit: BPM Sophie Whitehurst died at her home on August 1 Credit: BPM The heartbreaking tragedy unfolded after Sophie went to bed to catch up on some sleep before spending the afternoon watching football with her teenage son. Connor immediately began CPR while his sister Allie-May, 16, ran for help as panic swept through the family home. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! Despite a frantic fight to save her, Sophie was pronounced dead by paramedics after they battled for around 30 minutes. The mum-of-three died at her home in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday, leaving behind Connor, Allie-May and baby Harper. Her cause of death has not yet been officially confirmed. Neighbours have since spoken of their horror at the sudden loss of the much-loved mum, describing her as the “life of the party”. Neighbour Sophia Berrow, 20, rushed to help after hearing screams coming from next door. She told The Sentinel: “I live with my boyfriend and his family, who have lived next door to Sophie for 13 years. Most read in Health “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.” After being awake through the night looking after baby Harper, Sophie decided to rest before heading downstairs later to watch Stoke City with Connor. Sophia explained: “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.” Hearing the commotion, Sophia raced next door to join the desperate rescue effort. She said: “Because my bedroom window was also open, I could hear everything that was going on. I’m training to be a veterinary nurse, so I’m qualified in human and animal CPR. I went across straight away to help. I went into the house and up to Sophie’s room. “I took Sophie off the bed to continue doing CPR on the floor. But it was clear to me straight away 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.” Sophia admitted she feared the worst but never gave up hope. She said: “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. “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.” The devastated neighbour has now launched an online fundraiser to help pay for Sophie’s funeral and support her children. More than £4,700 has already been raised towards the £7,000 target, with hundreds of donations flooding in to help give Sophie the send-off her loved ones believe she deserves. To donate, see link here. More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us on TikTok @TheSun.