A young girl, Lily Mae Avant, 10, from Texas, who was reportedly fighting for her life after being infected with a deadly brain-eating amoeba as a result of swimming in Brazos River near Waco, has died. The fifth-grader had contracted the Naegleria fowleri amoeba.
The horrific announcement was made by family and school officials, who had previously confirmed that the 10-year-old girl was in a critical condition and healthcare experts were doing everything they can to keep her alive.
The family said in a statement: “Words cannot begin to express how overwhelming this past week has been for our family. We have been flooded by your love and support and feel incredibly humbled by how many lives have been impacted by our sweet and sassy, Lily Mae.”
The Valley Mills Elementary- Valley Mills, Texas wrote on social media: “Valley Mills Independent School District is deeply saddened by the loss of Lily Avant. Lily was an absolute blessing to our elementary school. She was an outstanding student, but more importantly, Lily was an incredible person and friend to all. She was loving, kind, respectful, and had a beautiful heart. This campus and community are beyond blessed for the time we shared with our Lily.”
It only took about a day after the girl had gone swimming for the first symptoms to appear, as she started to complain of various fever-like problems. She was also suffering from a major headache, according to reports.
The girl’s family initially believed that she was suffering from a common virus and did not take her condition as seriously as they could have, which had resulted in some delays in providing proper care for the young girl.
She was eventually rushed to the hospital after her mother heard strange noises coming from her room in the middle of the night, and found the girl unresponsive.
It is not clear what occurred at the end because hospital officials cannot talk without the family’s consent, but she had received a lot of support from people online wishing her the best and hoping for a speedy recovery.
Previous cases involving similar bacteria have been very problematic, with multiple death cases recorded over the last year alone, but at least it looks like public awareness is going up.
Many have started to pay attention to this type of condition, and people are avoiding swimming in places prone to the amoeba.
