An aspiring lawyer and Taekwondo black belt has died aged 19 after suffering a cardiac arrest in her sleep.
Isabelle Sava, a law student at Queen Mary University, East London, was found critically ill last Monday in Mile End.
Emergency crews were unable to save her, leaving her parents, Ovi and Laura Sava, devastated.
Isabelle, who was from Romania, was described by family friend Adriana Agache as ‘the kind of young woman other young people could look up to.’
She was an active member of life at university where she had been due to start her second year.
Adriana said: ‘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 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.’
Alongside her studies, Isabelle had a black belt in Taekwondo and won silver at the world championships in the Netherlands in 2022.
Her commitment and achievements were also recognised with a Jack Petchey Achievement Award, which honours outstanding young people across London and Essex.
Adriana said: ‘The strength and discipline Isabelle developed through Taekwondo became part of the young woman she was.
‘It is difficult to comprehend how much one young woman had already achieved by the age of 19.’
At university she was involved in the Law Society, Commercial Awareness Society, and Student Advancement Society as well as being a tutor for Ali’s Academy.
She also wrote a blog and earlier this year a legal article she wrote was published by the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre.
Speaking about her parent’s grief, Adriana said: ‘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 fundraising page set up to support Isabelle’s family with funeral costs has raised more than £10,000.
