A family vacation ended in tragedy for a Georgia family. Days after a 2-year-old was found unconscious in a Florida swimming pool, she died from her injuries Thursday, the family said.
According to investigators, Leland Rudeen and her family were in a vacation rental home in Marathon when adults lost sight of the child shortly before 11 a.m. on April 9. When the Cumming toddler was found, an adult began CPR, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
The child was taken to a local hospital and then flown to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, where she remained until her death. On Thursday, the family announced Leland’s death in a Facebook post.
“She was such a bright, happy little girl and loved by everyone she met,” the post stated. “Despite our immense loss we have chosen to do good with what has happened and will be giving up to 6 babies a chance to live because of our most precious angel. She was always very caring and always wanted to help others. It only seems right that with her death we are giving her the chance to save others.”
Before her death, Leland’s father gave updates about her condition on Facebook and a GoFundMe page created to help the family. The organizer of the GoFundMe page also confirmed the child’s death.
In an update earlier this week, Benjamin Rudeen asked for continued prayers for his daughter.
“She is still fighting really hard,” he wrote.
In a post announcing the little girl’s death, Rudeen wrote that the family was overwhelmed by the support of others. Funeral arrangements for Leland were pending.
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