Aspiring Lawyer and Taekwondo World Champion, 19, Dies After Suffering Cardiac Arrest in Her Sleep

A family friend described the tragedy as “completely unexpected” in a fundraising page established for the woman’s parents

NEED TO KNOW

• Isabelle Sava, a 19-year-old aspiring lawyer, died in her sleep on Aug. 17 after suffering an unexpected cardiac arrest
• The Queen Mary University of London law student was also an accomplished taekwondo athlete who earned a second-degree black belt and won silver at the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships
• Family friend Adriana Agache created a GoFundMe to support Isabelle’s parents, Laura and Ovi, adding that Isabelle had “so many plans” and “so much more to give to this world”

An aspiring lawyer and accomplished taekwondo athlete died after suffering an unexpected cardiac arrest.

Isabelle Sava died in her sleep at age 19 on Aug. 17, despite efforts from ambulance and air ambulance crews to resuscitate her, according to a verified GoFundMe established for her parents by family friend Adriana Agache.

In the fundraiser, Agache described Isabelle’s death as “completely unexpected,” writing that emergency responders “fought desperately to resuscitate her and save her life.”

“Tragically, despite everything they did, Isabelle could not be saved,” she wrote.

No further details about what caused Isabelle’s cardiac arrest were provided.

Isabelle was preparing to begin her second year studying law at Queen Mary University of London and hoped to one day become a lawyer, per the fundraising page.

“She was intelligent, ambitious, focused and incredibly determined,” Agache wrote. “She knew where she wanted to go in life, and she was prepared to work hard to get there.”

She added that the teen was involved with her university’s Law Society, Commercial Awareness Society and Student Advancement Society and served as a student blog writer for the Queen Mary Legal Advice Center.

Isabelle was also an accomplished athlete who had dedicated more than a decade of her life to taekwondo.

After years of training, she earned a second-degree black belt and began competing internationally. In 2022, she competed at the World Taekwondo Championships in the Netherlands, where she won a silver medal in sparring, per Agache and the International Taekwondo Federation.

She also served as a Police Cadet and had completed the Bronze and Silver levels of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a U.K. youth development program centered on volunteering, physical activity, skills and expeditions.

However, Agache emphasized that Isabelle was far more than her list of accomplishments.

“Isabelle was kind, intelligent, loving, thoughtful, disciplined, compassionate and incredibly hardworking,” she wrote, describing her as “ambitious without being arrogant” and “successful, but humble.”

She added that Isabelle was exceptionally close with her parents, Laura and Ovi Sava, noting that she was the couple’s only child. She continued to say that Isabelle was Laura and Ovi’s “pride and joy,” and “best friend.”

Agache said that the fundraiser was created so the couple could focus on grieving their daughter and honoring her life without shouldering all of the financial costs that followed her unexpected death.

“Nothing we raise can take away their pain,” Agache wrote. “Nothing can replace Isabelle. Nothing can give Laura and Ovi back the future they should have shared with their daughter. But together, we can surround them with love, kindness and support and take at least one burden from their shoulders during the darkest time of their lives.”

“Isabelle had so many plans. So many dreams. So much potential. And so much more to give to this world,” Agache continued, adding, “Her story should have had so many more chapters.”

NEED TO KNOW

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Trenic TKD, a U.K.-based network of Taekwon-Do academies, shared a tribute to Isabelle on Instagram on Aug. 21.

“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we share the devastating news of the passing of Isabelle Sava,” the organization wrote in its tribute.

“Beyond her remarkable achievements on the mats, Isabelle was a pleasure to teach, train alongside, and know. She will be sorely missed by everyone who had the privilege of meeting her across the Taekwon-Do community. Our deepest thoughts, love, and prayers are with her family and friends during this heartbreaking time,” it added.

Read the full article here