Avery Canahuati, the nearly-6-month old baby with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) whose heartbreaking "bucket list" recently went viral, died yesterday, her father wrote on the family's website.
Avery's dad, Mike Canahuati, said:
Avery passed away yesterday sometime around 3pm due to pulmonary complications related to SMA. In short, one of her lungs collapsed and she went into cardiac arrest. I immediately performed CPR on her and was able to bring her back to life, but only for a brief period of time before she passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital. Avery's passing this quickly came as a complete shock to all of us, as she had just been given a thumbs up at her last doctors appointment only three days ago.
He also shared a letter -- written (like the rest of the blog) in Avery's voice -- in which she asked one more time for people to lend a hand in raising awareness about SMA:
When people think of me, I hope they'll also think of all my friends who have been through this and who are going through this now. But what I really hope for is that when people think about me, they will not waste time sitting there feeling sorry for me, rather I hope they will STAND UP in honor of me and all of my friends (past, present, and future). And they can do so by spreading awareness and helping to fund a cure for my friends.
Canahuati posted two final heartwrenching items that the baby checked off her list: to "not let SMA take my smile away" and "take one last breath, then take one more before [going] to live" with her relatives who have also passed away. Dad says they will continue to tell the baby's story through "a few archived blogs that Avery never posted."
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