IONIA, Mich. — A West Michigan family faced what no family should this holiday season: mourning the loss of their four-year-old daughter.
Vayda Reidt was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was two-years-old. But despite the diagnosis, Vayda was overall a healthy child.
"She was always happy, lively, energetic," said Reidt's mother, Megan Webster.
On December 17, Vayda's mother noticed she began to experience flu like symptoms. Four days after those symptoms began, she stopped breathing and was pronounced dead.
Vayda was diagnosed with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Between RSV and Type 1 diabetes, it was too much for Vayda's body to handle.
"The rest of my family kind of still felt hopeful. I could of sworn when I walked in there (the hospital room) that I didn’t feel that attachment. I just felt like she wasn’t in there anymore. So I kind of knew the bad news was going to stay bad news," said Webster.
Following Vayda's death the family made the decision to donate her heart, kidney's, and liver to another child in need.
"They kind of ask you right away if you have any interest in donating and I don’t think that was really a debate with us," said Webster. "I think if you can help people you should. Unfortunately, we were in that position so that was a quick yes from us as far as donating goes."
News the family would be donating Vayda's organs went viral on Facebook.
"I’ve gotten messages from England, Australia, all kinds of places. Just people that have gotten organs, they are waiting for them, or just sad in general that someones child just died," said Webster.
The response on social media is comfort this family holds on to, after already losing so much.
"You always think that you have so much time to do whatever you want to do. Follow your dreams, talk to your family. It’s made me feel like maybe I don’t have all that time and that I should put for effort into accomplishing what I want to do," said Webster.
A Go Fund Me page has been set up for Vayda's family to help cover hospital and funeral costs. More than $6,000 has already been raised. Miss Dee's School of Dance, where Vayda danced, has also launched a scholarship in her honor.
