A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl whose radiant smile "could light up a room" has died suddenly.
Salma Jura, a pupil at Brooklands special school in Reigate, had severe cerebral palsy after being starved of oxygen at birth, but had been healthy recently, and her death has shocked family and friends.
She developed breathing difficulties while staying at a respite centre for disabled children in Guildford, and died soon after in hospital.
Her grandmother Lidia Paruch said: "She was just a beautiful girl; we loved her dearly.
"I was hoping she would get better. She had physiotherapy and everything and she had been quite well recently.
"I am just shocked that she went when I didn't think she was having any problems with her health. I thought she would be with us into old age."
Salma, who needed help with everyday functions and was fed through a tube, sometimes had respite care at Beeches in Oak Road, Reigate, a centre for disabled children which is due to be closed (see page 10).
She and Mrs Paruch were at a protest against the closure in Reigate town centre on October 13, just three days before she died.
Mrs Paruch, 55, was Salma's guardian, and also cares for her younger brother James, 2 and older sister Nicola, 13.
The family had recently enjoyed a trip to Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire as Salma's 9th birthday treat.
They moved to Surrey to access care for Salma, and now live in Ashtead.
Family friend Amanda MacIntyre, 46, a nurse from Tadworth, said: "Spending time with Salma has been one of the greatest privileges I have ever had.
"Salma was a delightful little girl who lived her life to the full. She had the ability to make people love her wherever she went.
"Her smile would radiate from her and when she got the giggles we all got them. She just lit up a room, she had such a presence.
"She had a wonderful relationship with her younger brother James and they would often play together.
"Her death was completely unexpected and has saddened us all. The death of a child is very cruel and unfair. She will be really missed."
A postmortem examination into Salma's death has proved inconclusive.
Her family hope to donate a water feature for her friends to enjoy in the sensory garden at Brooklands School.
