The 17-year-old daughter of an Illinois congressman who died in her sleep in June was felled by sudden cardiac arrhythmia, Rep. Sean Casten said Friday.
“She was fine, and then her heart stopped,” the devastated Casten family said of daughter Gwen, who was about to begin her freshman year at the University of Vermont.
“She had just come home from an evening with friends, went to bed and didn’t wake up,” the Democrat’s statement read.
The Castens called Gwen a “healthy 2022 teenager” who was “fully vaccinated” and had tested positive for COVID-19 more than once in recent months, but never experienced symptoms.
“Sudden, unexplained heart-failure among young, healthy people is rare but real,” they wrote. “She had a big, beautiful, kind, loving heart. And it stopped, as all must.”
The family said they are grateful for the “outpouring of love” they have received over the past few months.
“We’ve cried again over each of your letters, messages, meals, and flowers, but they are appreciated. We are also grateful for the donations to the Downers Grove North Friends of Fine Arts and March for Our Lives, causes that Gwen was actively engaged in during high school. It is a comfort to know how many lives Gwen touched over her 17 years,” the family wrote.
“None of us know when our last heartbeat will come,” the family wrote. “The best we can hope for is that when our loved ones do pass, we will have no regrets about the time we were lucky enough to share.”
“So hug the folks you love a little harder today,” they continued. “Be present in their lives. And spread your love a little farther. Because in the end, it’s all that remains.”
With Post Wires
