Elsie Mahe, the 3-year-old daughter of BYU running backs coach Reno Mahe, passed away Tuesday evening, one week after becoming entangled in a mini-blind cord at the family home and suffering damage to her brain, according to a Facebook post from her mother, Sunny.
"We feel peace and we are again so grateful for the privilege of being Elsie's parents," Sunny Mahe wrote. "She continues to sprinkle love and hope across the world and I am in awe of the Lord and His marvelous plan for my sweet girl."
Earlier Tuesday, Sunny Mahe expressed thanks for the support the family has felt.
“We continue to be overwhelmed and astonished by the reach that our little Elsie’s story has achieved,” she wrote. “We love the Lord and His plan and we are forever changed by her short, wonderful little life. We grieve the loss of daily interaction with her, but we know that a glorious reunion awaits and we long for that joyful day.”
On Sunday, the family shared via Facebook that it met with the hospital organ donation team at Primary Children’s Hospital, where she was being treated, making the decision to use Elsie Mahe’s organs to help save others.
“It is not the miracle that we wanted but it its the one we got,” Sunny Mahe said via Facebook. “It is still a miracle.”
An MRI Friday revealed damage in Elsie Mahe's brain, according to a Facebook update, that the upper lobes in her brain “went without oxygen long enough to be devastated.”
The family has felt an outpouring of support from the community since the accident. Supporters wore pink, Elsie Mahe’s favorite color, at BYU’s regular-season finale on Saturday against Utah State at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Coaches from both the University of Utah and BYU football teams visited the family at Primary Children’s Hospital and several people in the BYU sports community shared their thoughts via social media.
Also, A GoFundMe account to support the Mahe family was set up by family friend Jeremy Roberts. The account has raised more than $58,000.
Ryan McDonald is a sports reporter at DeseretNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanwmcdonald.