MURRAY, Utah (KUTV) — A 10-year-old girl who was critically injured in a near-drowning at Willow Pond Park in Murray last week will be taken off life support after doctors determined she would not recover.
10-year-old Leneah Taeoalii was rushed to the hospital Friday, when she was pulled from the water after going under at the park while playing with her 9-year-old sister.
Her family has now made the heartbreaking decision to donate her organs and say goodbye in the coming days.
Her aunt, Connie Bradshaw, said Leneah's final act was one of heroism.
According to Bradshaw, Leneah and her 9-year-old sister were with their father at the park Friday afternoon. The family had been playing near the water but had not gone into the pond.
Bradshaw said their father briefly stepped away to use the restroom, bringing the girls up to the restrooms and asking them to wait there.
Instead, the girls began tossing each other's shoes around, playing, while waiting for their father. When one shoe landed near the edge of the pond, they tried to retrieve it.
"They got in a mud pocket and got sucked in," Bradshaw said.
Both girls ended up in the water.
Bradshaw said Leneah managed to push her younger sister to the surface. Leneah, however, never resurfaced.
Officers helped rescue Leneah’s sister and father, who had jumped into the water but were struggling. A second rescue team located Leneah submerged in about eight feet of water.
CPR was started immediately at the scene before Leneah was taken to Intermountain Medical Center and later flown by medical helicopter to Primary Children's Hospital in critical condition.
As the family prepares to say goodbye, they say Leneah will become an organ donor, allowing her to help others even after her death.
A GoFundMe has been started to help with medical expenses.
A fundraiser is planned Friday at Cravings Alisha's Cupcakes in Pleasant Grove. The business, owned by family, will donate 100% of the day's proceeds to Leneah's family to help with medical and other unexpected expenses.
The fundraiser will be held at 93 S. Main Street in Pleasant Grove. Family members are also asking for continued prayers as they navigate the loss of their daughter and prepare to honor her final gift through organ donation.