S2, E5: Dr Emily Cooper: Losing Alexander & Isabelle

In our fifth episode of Season Two, we sit down with Dr Emily Cooper.  Emily is a senior lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, and a mum of four beautiful children. Emily lost her son, Alexander in 2021, and her daughter Isabelle, in 2024, both to a rare genetic condition. Emily speaks to us about her experience of losing both Alexander and Isabelle, the complexity of navigating grief while continuing to parent, and the reality of living with a diagnosis that so little is known about. She also shares how her family’s experience has led her to advocate for greater awareness, support, and research for others facing similar circumstances. We talk about the uncertainty that comes with rare conditions, the weight of unanswered questions, the love that sits alongside unimaginable loss, and the ways people try to make sense of something that feels impossible to understand. It’s an episode that holds both love and honesty, and a reminder of the strength it takes to keep going in the face of so much honesty.