A 19-year-old Taekwondo world silver medallist and law student has died after suffering a cardiac arrest in her sleep. Isabelle Sava, a Romanian student at Queen Mary University in Mile End, East London, was discovered in a critical condition on Monday, August 17. Despite desperate attempts by emergency services, including an air ambulance, she could not be revived.
Family and Friends Left Devastated
Isabelle was the only child of Laura and Ovi Sava, who have been left devastated by their sudden loss. Family friend Adriana Agache has launched a fundraising page to help Isabelle's grieving parents cover funeral expenses.
Agache said: "There are simply no words for a loss like this. 19 years was nowhere near enough. She was the kind of young woman other young people could look up to and the kind of daughter any parent would be immensely proud to call their own."
She added: "Laura and Ovi expected to watch Isabelle begin her second year at university. They expected to watch her complete her Law degree. They expected to stand proudly at her graduation. Instead, without warning, their entire world changed. No parent should ever have to bury their child."
A Promising Legal Career Cut Short
Isabelle had a lifelong ambition to pursue a career in commercial law and was preparing to start her second year of studies. She was an active member of the Law Society, Commercial Awareness Society and Student Advancement Society. A keen writer, she contributed to a blog, and earlier this year a legal article she authored was published by the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre. Isabelle had also been employed as a tutor at Ali's Academy for over two years.
Agache continued: "Isabelle wasn't someone who simply dreamed about her future. Even at 19, she was already working incredibly hard to build it. She immersed herself in university life and the legal world. She actively sought opportunities to learn, gain legal experience and prepare herself for the career she wanted."
She added: "She was intelligent, ambitious, focused and incredibly determined. She knew where she wanted to go in life, and she was prepared to work hard to get there. While she was working tirelessly towards her own future, she still found time to help others build theirs. Helping people was simply part of her nature."
Accomplished Athlete and Community Role Model
In her free time, Isabelle served as a Police Cadet. Her dedication and accomplishments were acknowledged when she was presented with a Jack Petchey Achievement Award. She was also exceptionally athletic, devoting over ten years to Taekwondo, where she attained a second-degree black belt. In 2022, she took part in the World Taekwondo Championships in the Netherlands, where she earned a silver medal in sparring.
Agache said: "Behind her black belt and silver medal were more than a decade of training, competitions, sacrifices, perseverance and countless hours of hard work. The strength and discipline Isabelle developed through Taekwondo became part of the young woman she was."
She added: "It is difficult to comprehend how much one young woman had already achieved by the age of 19. Isabelle was kind, intelligent, loving, thoughtful, disciplined, compassionate and incredibly hardworking."
Fundraiser Surpasses £10,000
Agache has since launched a GoFundMe page to assist Ovi and Laura with the financial pressures of their unexpected loss. The money raised will go towards covering Isabelle's funeral and memorial costs, along with other unforeseen expenses the family faces in the wake of her sudden passing. To date, the campaign has raised in excess of £10,000.
Agache added: "Anyone who knows Laura and Ovi knows how incredibly close the three of them were. They dedicated their lives to Isabelle – supporting her education, encouraging every dream, standing beside her throughout more than a decade of Taekwondo training and competitions, celebrating every achievement and giving her all the love and support they possibly could."
She continued: "She was their whole world. Their only child. Their greatest pride. Their future. And their greatest joy. Her life was heartbreakingly short, but the measure of a life is not simply the number of years someone lived."
The fundraiser is available on the official GoFundMe page for those wishing to contribute.
