GoFundMe seeks to aid family who lost daughter, had home burglarized on same day

It’s a heartbreaking story with a tragic coincidence that supporters hope to make just a little better–at least financially.

July 15, 2015; 9:15 AM • by Trevor Dickerson

From WTVR:

Packing up their niece’s precious belongings was the last thing Lindsay Hannan and Erin Gray ever thought they’d have to do. Both women kissed and smelled clothing and blankets as they put them away in a box on Monday afternoon.

Their niece, 22-month-old Elsa Prather died Sunday in an Ohio hospital, after a long battle with Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that caused Elsa to have massive and frequent seizures.

“She was the sweetest, most perfect loving child,” said Gray.

“Her smile lit up a room,” Hannan added. “She was very, very special.”

While Elsa lived with her illness from the time she was five months old, she suffered her most devastating seizure three months ago. For 95 days, Graham and Alissa Prather watched as doctors at St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond tried every treatment possible. Elsa was transferred by private plane on Wednesday to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where doctors delivered the devastating news that Elsa was brain dead.

This is a heartbreaking story and tragic coincidence of events, but friends say the family has been resilient and strong through it all. The campaign had raised more than $50,000–more than double its goal–at press time.