A ‘really healthy’ little boy was put to bed by his family - and the next morning they found he had died. His mum has spoken of her horror after finding little Raphaël Labrousse-Stanyon who was just 22 months old.
The youngster was ‘obsessed’ with dinosaurs, his family said, and so far they have no answers as to what might have caused his death. Parents Nicola Stanyon, and Xavier Labrousse put him to bed “as normal” on May 31, but tragically, the next morning he had died.
Post-mortem results have come back inconclusive but investigations by the coroner are ongoing. Mum Nicola spoke to the Liverpool Echo describing him as a “gorgeous little boy”. Raphaël, who was born on July 9, 2021, was rushed to Southport Hospital where he was pronounced dead before being transferred to Alder Hey to allow his family the chance to say goodbye.
Nicola said: “He was 22 months old. He was a gorgeous little boy, really energetic and really healthy. He had a great relationship with his (older) brother and six-week old sister. He threw himself into anything and everything.”
Nicola added: “I’ve never known a child smile so much. He was so happy. He’d fall over and bang his head and he would get up and smile, he was so happy. His big brother was his best friend and partner in crime. And he loved cuddles with his little sister.
“He loved dinosaurs, he was obsessed with them and he loved eating cake, he loved going the café and he loved singing and dancing. We’ve had a lot of support, especially from Alder Hey, they’ve been brilliant, the Snowdrops team have been great.”
The young boy will be greatly missed by his mum Nicola, dad Xavier, big brother Lionel, little sister. Nicola said: “It’s only just happened so we know so little. He is so missed by us and his family. We miss who you were and who you were going to be.”
According to the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) charity, SUDC is the sudden and unexpected death of a child between one and 18 years of age, which remains unexplained after a thorough investigation is conducted.
Co-founded by three bereaved mothers, SUDC UK aims to help make SUDC predictable and preventable by raising awareness and funding crucial research. More information about the charity can be found here.
