4th grader declared brain dead after collapsing at recess on first day of school, family says
www.wbko.com
HENDERSON, Ky. (Gray News) – A Kentucky family says their 9-year-old daughter is brain dead after she collapsed during recess on her first day of fourth grade last week.
On Aug. 7, on her first day of school at Cairo Elementary in Henderson, Lucy Nash collapsed during recess. Her family said her heart stopped for several minutes.
“On the first day of school Lucy collapsed and had a cardiac event,” a GoFundMe page reads. “Her little brain went many minutes without oxygen while they were trying to save her life.”
Lucy was rushed to a local hospital before she was flown to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, where her family says she’ll never wake up again.
On Tuesday, a public Facebook post from Lucy’s dad, Ryan Nash, said doctors declared her brain dead this week.
“Brain death isn’t something that happens at once. It’s a stretching of time in futile hope that something, somewhere in there, might still be. We’ve learned brain death takes 12 hours to declare and more than a day to experience,” Nash wrote.
The post continued, “Sunday morning, the doctor who brought my bright, energetic ‘smart cookie’ to Riley’s [Children’s Hospital] and worked all night long to save her from the going over the brink explained that the swelling and tissue damage that has been going on moment by moment since recess on Wednesday had reached its end finally. Her brain isn’t alive anymore.”
Family and friends started the “Pinkies up 4 Lucy” campaign on social media, meant to honor Lucy’s love for painting her fingernails pink. It quickly developed into everyone in the community wearing pink for Lucy, WFIE reported.
On Monday, officials in the city government, employees at local businesses, workers at her school, and other community members wore pink in honor of Lucy.
City officials said the commissioners wore pink ribbons at Tuesday’s meeting to honor her as well.
Lucy’s family said her body is being prepared for organ donation.
“Over the next few days Lucy’s body will be examined and cared for, and the organs and tissues she no longer needs will be given to help as many people as possible,” her dad wrote. “Keeping her heart going maximizes the good she can do. All she ever wanted to do was good.”
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