Sydney mum's heartbreak as baby girl dies suddenly days before second birthday

A Sydney mum was left devastated when she woke on June 17 to find her baby daughter dead in her cot, just days before she was to celebrate her second birthday.

Elle Wilkinson discovered her little girl, Lola, unresponsive after noticing that the one-year-old had slept in later than usual.

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It was Elle's 30^th birthday that day, and the single mum never could have anticipated the heartbreak it would bring when she walked into her daughter's room.

There she found Lola face down in a pool of vomit in her bed, according to reports, and began screaming for her eight-year-old son Ruben to call for help.

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Neighbours rushed to help the single mum-of-two but when paramedics arrived soon after, Lola was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving her mother and brother distraught.

Unable to return to their home after witnessing Lola's death, mum and son have split up, Ruben going to stay with his dad while Elle has booked into a hotel.

An online fundraiser has been started to help get the pair back on their feet, but with no clear cause of Lola's death, both have been left "traumatised".

The little girl was just 12 days away from her second birthday and appeared happy and healthy in the days leading up to her passing. A lesion was found on her lung, which has been sent for testing.

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"Beautiful Lola lived a life full of happiness and love," the online fundraiser, started by Perfrement, reads.

"Our hearts are beyond broken with no words to describe this terrible situation. Elle has lost her beautiful baby girl and Ruben is missing his only sibling Lola."

In just six days, more than $16,000 has been donated to the grieving family, with hopes to reach a $20,000 goal to help them move.