“LIFE just revolved around Alex – she was the most caring person, she cared about everyone and everything.”

For the family of Alex Wilson, her sudden death the day after her 20th birthday last week has left a huge void in their lives.

Her mother Lorraine, a nurse, of Cricklade Road, said her daughter, who suffered from epilepsy, diabetes, learning difficulties and a chromosome 14 depletion, had dreamt of being a nurse and had a passion for singing.

“If she could have, she would have loved to have been a nurse, a carer, a vet, anything that cared for people or animals, she was like a little helper and so, so loving. There were always lots of cuddles with Alex,” she said.

“She loved the colour pink, horses and Minnie Mouse and she absolutely loved singing, even though she wasn’t particularly good at it.”

Alex, a former pupil of Ruskin, Crowdys and Uplands schools, had a sister, 11-year-old Katy, and three brothers, Nick, 27, Billy, 24, and Joe, 22. She was preparing to return to Swindon College this week where she was studying a Skills For Life course.

She had spent her birthday with family, enjoyed a trip to the restaurant and had spent time at a respite centre in the town where she had made new friends.

Lorraine said: “She was really looking forward to going back to college because all of her friends from Uplands were starting – she was one of the oldest in her year before, and on the day she died she was getting ready to go to town to spend her birthday money on things for college.”

Alex had been in her bedroom waiting for her father Mike, a teacher at Kingsdown School , and sister Katy to get ready for the trip to town last Wednesday when, just moments after speaking to her parents, she was found unconscious.

Her father, who suffered a heart attack in 2008 while taking a maths class but was saved thanks to the quick intervention of his pupils, gave his daughter CPR, but she had already died.

She had suffered sudden unexplained death due to epilepsy.

Lorraine said: “She had been fine. She hadn’t been feeling unwell. It just happened so quickly.

“As a nurse, if there is only one thing you can do for someone, it is to make them pain free, so I take comfort from knowing Alex couldn’t have been in pain.”

The funeral service will be held at Green Road Baptist Church on September 12 at 12.30pm followed by a committal at Kingsdown Crematorium at 1.30pm. The family have requested everyone wear pink.

Family flowers only, but donations in Alex’s memory can be made to Hop, Skip & Jump, c/o Co-operative Funeralcare, 439 Cricklade Road,SN2 1AQ.