‘She was a privilege to be around.’

These are the heart-breaking words of a High Wycombe father who has pledged to create a legacy for his four-year-old daughter who passed away following a sudden cardiac arrest.

Salman Waqar shared his story to the Bucks Free Press after his beloved child, Yusra, passed away on March 8 this year.

Yusra posing for the camera

Yusra posing for the camera

Still processing the devastating loss, Salman along with his wife, Alaa, are now doing their bit to help other families experiencing similar circumstances, by raising funds through a Go Fund Me page.

Incredibly, at the time of writing, £25,413 has been raised so far, as they try and reach £30,000.

Speaking to the Free Press, Salman said: “It still doesn’t feel quite real, but I think what we’re doing is helping us move on whilst keeping her memory alive as well.

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“It’s amazing and we’re so humbled by people’s generosity as we want to help other families that have been impacted like ours.

“People have been so kind and we’re very grateful for everyone’s contributions.

Yusra passed away on March 8 at the age of four

Yusra passed away on March 8 at the age of four

“She went to bed as she would normally do on the Friday evening.

“She was tired but nothing out of the usual, but when we went to check on her, we found her unresponsive.

“I started to perform CPR and we called the emergency services and as I’m a GP, I went into autopilot.

“We’re just so shocked and it was completely out of the blue.”

Arriving in this world on September 26, 2017, Yursa was diagnosed with Joubert’s Syndrome  - an extremely rare genetic condition in children that affects their development - before she was even born

She faced a battle right from birth, but Yursa defied the odds and, despite frequent medical involvement, she was described as ‘thriving’.

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Yusra attended a playgroup for children with additional needs, and her parents said she made good progress with all her therapies, demonstrating her strength and tenacity, and her vibrant personality.

Since Yusra passed away and has left so many people who knew her devastated, Salman and Alaa are hopeful that her legacy will live on.

A Go Fund Me page was launched to help others who have gone through something similar

A Go Fund Me page was launched to help others who have gone through something similar

Salman continued: “She was feeling fine beforehand and this is so unexpected."

The father explained how medics were able to regain Yusra's pulse and she was placed on a ventilator for four days, but the cardiac arrest had caused 'catastrophic' injuries within her brain.

He said: "She passed away in our arms.

“She was a very sociable child as she loved to be around other children and she was a joy to have in our lives.”

Parts of the fundraising page also reads: “But her part in this world is not done.

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“If you met her you knew.

“She changed every life she touched.

“We are creating this fund as a small testament to her memory in a way that can benefit so many more lives.

“Whilst we are strategising a longer-term legacy, possibly through a separate charity or endowment, we endeavour to put the funds raised here to work with existing organisations and directly support families that are going through similar trials.

“We hope, in Yusra's name, to be able to bring some 'ease' to those who need it.”

For more information, visit www.gofundme.com/f/remembering-yusra.