The Australian community is mourning the loss of a brave two-year-old Perth girl, Aurelia Patel, who has died after a desperate public battle with a severe and rare medical condition.
A Family's Heartbreaking Announcement
Her devastated family shared the news that Aurelia passed away on Sunday night. The toddler had been fighting severe pulmonary hypertension, a life-threatening form of high blood pressure that critically affects the heart and lungs.
"Our sweet Aurelia has grown her wings. With unimaginable heartbreak, we share that our precious Aurelia passed away (on Sunday) night," her aunt, Therese Butcher, said in a sorrowful update. "Surrounded by love, she took her final breath wrapped in the arms and hearts of those who adored her."
Butcher described Aurelia as a brave girl who "fought harder than any child ever should" and said her light had touched thousands who followed her journey. The family is "completely shattered" but finds some comfort in knowing she is now at peace.
A Race Against Time for Treatment
Aurelia's condition first made national headlines in November when her family revealed the rarity of her illness and their urgent search for treatment options. Her episodes were severe and frightening; at their worst, she would stop breathing and lose consciousness for minutes at a time, multiple times each day.
Australian medical experts had delivered a grim prognosis. She was deemed too young for a transplant locally, and medications failed to improve her situation, leading to a referral for end-of-life palliative care.
With no viable options left in Australia, her family launched a public fundraising campaign in a final attempt to get her on heart and lung transplant lists at overseas hospitals. Her father, Peter Crofts, poignantly told 7NEWS in November, "I'm just a dad trying to save my little girl."
A Community United in Support and Grief
In her statement, Butcher expressed profound gratitude to the vast community of family, friends, and strangers who rallied behind Aurelia. "Your love lifted her up and now helps hold us through our grief," she said on Monday.
The family has asked for privacy and time to grieve. "We are completely shattered and need time to grieve, breathe, and be together," Butcher said. She urged people to remember Aurelia's "golden smile, her courage, and the way she brought people together with pure love," signing off with, "Fly high, beautiful girl. Forever our golden light."
