Aleya Brooks: Tennessee cheerleader, 15, dies after being crushed by huge tree during 79mph storm
GALLATIN, TENNESSEE: A Tennessee high school cheerleader suffered traumatic brain injury and died after a tree fell on her during a severe storm with gusts of up to 79 mph. On Friday, March 3, 15-year-old Aleya Brooks was helping her family pick up debris in their driveway in Hendersonville (18 miles north of Nashville) when a huge tree fell on them during a severe storm.
Brooks was immediately taken to the trauma center at Skyline Hospital while she was unconscious and bleeding out in her mother's arms. "After a hard fight, our daughter is in the arms of Jesus now," said Brooks' father, Jason. "She will be taken off mechanical support tomorrow. This is not the ending any of us hoped or prayed for… but we will praise Him in the storm."
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Jason and his wife Darla adopted Aleya from China when she was 9 months old. She wanted to specialize in neuropsychology so she could treat brain injuries. "We know that Aleya, even in her passing, would want to have a positive impact on others lives. So, she will be an organ donor," said Jason. "Anyone is welcome to attend in honoring Aleya's life and amazing legacy of loving Jesus and loving others. We love everyone who has been such an incredible support through being with us on this devastating journey, for your thoughts, and for your prayers."
'Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw'
Jason recalled the devastating moment he saw his daughter on life support. "Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw. Our beautiful, perfect Princess was being sustained by respirator, and fed with multiple IVs in an attempt to reduce the swelling and pressure on her brain. We just stood there, holding her hand, stroking her hair, and reminding her how much she is loved even though she could not respond." Jason wrote on Facebook. "The neurosurgeon could only say, 'I'm so sorry. I’m so sorry. This is a horrific injury.'"
He quoted the Bible, saying, "'You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.' Psalms 139:13-16 NLT."
Jason and his family started a GoFundMe in honor of his daughter, saying, "We are raising money which will be donated to Aleya’s local Long Hollow church family and an organization focused on the advancement of care and research for neurological and brain disorders." He added, "Even in her passing, we want to help her continue her legacy of loving people and making a difference in lives around the world."