Growing up together, they shared their dreams and pursued them. At a modest home in Perumbavoor, two sisters, Ashly and Athira, now grieve the loss of one of their own. Aneena, a 24-year-old MSc student from Perumbavoor, died in the UK after suffering an epileptic episode on November 1.

The second of triplets born to Paoulose, a vehicle driver, and Bessy, a homemaker, Aneena passed away on Saturday at King George Hospital in East London after she reportedly choked on her food following an epileptic episode. She was pursuing her MSc in Sustainability and Environmental Management at Middlesex University.

"Among the three of us sisters, Aneena had the clearest vision in life. She did BSc in Agricultural Technology and wanted to start her own business. Even at home, she would experiment with planting different types of saplings in glass bottles. She was the decision-maker and the extrovert, while I was shy, she would jump right in,” said Ashly, Aneena's sister. "Along with her studies, she worked part-time at various places, a care home, a restaurant, and a cloud kitchen, wherever she could find work,” Ashly added. The eldest of the three sisters, Athira, is studying to become a nun. 

According to their family friend settled in the UK, Shiju, Aneena was having dinner with her friends at her apartment on Wednesday night when she suffered the fatal episode. “She fell to the ground, bit her tongue, and threw up. Her friends heard the sound of her laptop and plate falling and rushed in. She had choked on her vomit. They immediately called for help, and she was taken to King George Hospital in an ambulance. The ambulance team tried to resuscitate her for an hour before regaining her pulse, but doctors said her brain had gone without oxygen for more than 30 minutes. They later informed that food had entered her lungs and her condition was critical. She was kept on ventilator support for three days and was declared dead on Saturday,” he said.

“It had only been a year since she left for the UK. She used to have minor seizures, but it hadn't happened for some time, so she was confident to go abroad. But while she was there, she suffered a minor seizure once. She met a doctor and took medication. We were worried, but she was positive and confident," Ashly said. 

Aneena’s family, who lives in Aimury, Perumbavoor, along with their youngest Albin, a Class 10 student of Marthoma Public School. The siblings are unable to fathom the incident. "She used to call us every day, even if she was busy working. I cannot believe she is no more," Ashly said. 

The family is also burdened with a debt of around ₹20 lakh, taken as a loan for Aneena's higher studies. "They had taken loans from financial institutions and relatives to send her abroad. An agency once defrauded the younger sister out of money while she was preparing to go abroad. Even the family’s modest home was built with the help of well-wishers,” said Joshy Thomas, the family’s neighbour.

The family is now awaiting the completion of formalities to bring Aneena's body back to Kerala for cremation. The body is currently kept in the hospital mortuary, with Shiju coordinating the repatriation efforts.