102.5 ABC Perth

Topic: Genetic disorders

Thu 28 May 2026 at 10:01am

Danielle Green's daughter Airlie died in 2024, after her baby boy Sonny died in 2021.

In short:

Danielle Green wants genetic testing for infants who die suddenly with no known cause.

Ms Green lost her baby boy Sonny in 2021 and her daughter Airlie in 2024.

Their cause of death was a rare genetic mutation that can lead to heart problems.

A Perth mother who lost two children to a rare medical condition wants mandatory genetic testing.

Danielle Green's baby Sonny was nine months old when he got sick with gastro in 2021.

She took him to the hospital, where he had a heart attack.

Baby Sonny was nine months old when he got sick with gastro and had a heart attack.

Unfortunately, he could not be saved.

The coroner could not find out why Sonny died.

When Ms Green got pregnant again in 2022, genetic testing was not discussed.

Sonny's cause of death could not be found at first.

Nightmare repeated

Their daughter Airlie was five months old when the family's nightmare happened again.

Baby Airlie was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition.

She got gastro, and like Sonny, she went to the hospital and had a heart attack.

She was okay, then got worse and had a heart attack.

The hospital did genetic testing and found Airlie had a rare condition.

Ms Green did not know Airlie had the same condition as Sonny.

Later, tests showed Sonny had the condition too.

The condition affects the heart and can cause sudden death.

Genetic testing is important to find this condition.

'Your house is quiet'

Airlie survived the heart attack, but got gastro again at 18 months and died.

Airlie's death was like the family's nightmare again.

Unfortunately, she got worse.

Before she knew it, they were in the ICU, and nothing could be done.

Ms Green says the pain never goes away.

It hits her that this is her life now.

The kids are not there, and the house is quiet.

Call for change

Ms Green wants genetic testing for all children who die with no known cause.

She says a simple genetic test could make a big difference.

If she had known about genetic testing, she could have made a different choice.

A simple genetic test could have changed everything.

She might have only lost one child.

How many families are still wondering what happened to their child?

Danielle and Leon Green with baby Airlie, who died at 18 months.

Testing critical: expert

A professor supports Ms Green's call for mandatory genetic testing.

The professor says not testing is delaying help for other children.

Sonny's death was first thought to be a sad accident.

If they had done genetic testing after Sonny's death, they might have saved Airlie.

The WA Health Department is looking into making genetic testing easier for families.

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