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A family has been left devastated after their "beautiful and special" baby daughter died suddenly as she was playing in the garden. Grace Agnes Kenyon, who was just days away from her second birthday, had been laughing and running around with her older sister Charlotte, 7, last Saturday afternoon before she tragically passed away.

The toddler, from Winchburgh, started gagging before she lost consciousness, her family says. Her desperate parents battled to resuscitate her, but tragic Grace could not be saved. Mum Carly spoke to The Daily Record, explaining how the family are struggling to comprehend how a joyful afternoon in the sun turned into their worst nightmare so quickly.

The 31-year-old said: "It was just a regular day and Grace was enjoying being out in the garden after she woke up from her nap.

"She was chatting away, laughing, trying to copy her dad and sister doing gymnastics. I'll never be able to get that image out of my head now that I have to live with how quickly it all changed. We have just been living in a blur since then. We're absolutely shattered."

Grace had difficulties with swallowing since birth and lived with a feeding tube. Medics suspected she had a rare condition in her throat called Glossopharyngeal Palsy, but she was waiting for a formal diagnosis.

When the tot began to gag, the family initially thought it may have been something they had seen before - a brief reflex they expected to pass.

When her condition did not improve despite attempts to clear her mouth, her father Nick called 999.

Carly also said: "It wasn't clear what was happening but then she started making this awful noise. I was hitting her back as she sat on my knee and then she began struggling to breath. We began doing CPR immediately, but I could just see she was already gone.

"Myself and Nick tried to help her for ten minutes before paramedics arrived. Poor Charlotte watched this all unfold in front of her. It was just horrific. There are no words to explain watching your child pass away in front of your eyes."

The cause of Grace's death has not yet been determined and a post-mortem examination is scheduled for May 16.

Her family say they have been told there was no visible obstruction in her airway and have been informed that the examination may not provide a conclusive answer.

Carly also said: "Grace was happy and determined and she never let anything hold her back. She was a special little girl.

"She lit up every room she walked in and she made everyone's heart melt with her infectious smile. It seems so cruel that life was ripped away from her so suddenly."

A fundraiser has been set up for Grace by friends and the community.