An eight-year-old girl has died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba during a swim in a popular lake in Louisiana. Lillian Smart passed away on Saturday, one day after her eighth birthday, from an infection caused by the microscopic parasite Naegleria fowleri. Health officials believe she picked up the amoeba while swimming in a lake during a family outing.
Family confirms tragic loss
Her parents, Rebecca and Daniel Smart, confirmed the news in a heartbreaking statement shared on social media. “The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from,” the family wrote. “Everyone did everything they could to keep her here. We are heartbroken and honestly do not know what to do next. How do we put one foot in front of the other without our girl?”
The family’s ordeal began last Thursday when Lillian developed a fever, her mother revealed in an online update. By Saturday, her extreme fatigue and high temperature showed no signs of easing. She had already tested negative for Covid-19, strep throat, and influenza.
Rapid decline and hospital care
Lillian’s condition worsened when her mother noticed her pupils were asymmetrical and Lillian complained of double vision. The family rushed her to Willis-Knighton South Hospital, where she was soon transferred to paediatric intensive care. Medical teams worked to control the intracranial pressure in her skull and tried to stabilise her high temperature and blood pressure.
Initially, physicians diagnosed Lillian with bacterial meningitis following a spinal tap. Doctors did all they could to stop the infection caused by the brain-eating amoeba, which has a 97% fatality rate.
As Lillian fought for her life in Shreveport, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed publicly that someone had been hospitalised after becoming infected with Naegleria fowleri. Officials did not confirm Lillian was the patient, but the Smart family confirmed on social media that their daughter was the one in the paediatric intensive care unit.
Community rallies in prayer
The small town of Ruston rallied in support, with one church holding an all-day prayer vigil that saw thousands turn out to heed Rebecca Smart’s plea to “storm heaven with prayers for our baby.” As the community gathered in prayer, Lillian’s family celebrated her eighth birthday around her hospital bed.
But the brain swelling proved too catastrophic for Lillian to overcome. “Last night, Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,” her family said. Rebecca and Daniel added that they are “heartbroken and honestly do not know what to do next” and asked for continued prayers for their sons, friends, and family.
Despite their loss, the couple maintained their faith. “Our foundation is still in Jesus,” they wrote. “We didn’t get to keep our girl, but we watched miracles happen on her behalf. We believe God is good.”
Rare and deadly infection
Lillian is thought to be the fifth death attributed to Naegleria fowleri in Louisiana since 2011. The amoeba causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, an extremely rare brain infection that can occur when water travels up the nasal canal and reaches the brain. The amoeba cannot cause infection if swallowed. Symptoms typically begin with headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, progressing to stiff neck, seizures, and coma, before death within about a week of contact.
Only around 500 total cases have been reported in medical literature worldwide since the 1960s.
The Smart family issued a statement thanking the thousands of strangers who rallied around them. “We are so grateful to you for loving our girl,” they said. “We are devastated. We know you are too. Pray for our boys. They are going to need it so much. Pray for our friends and family, they are so sad and somehow still showing up for us.” They added: “Pray for us, we won’t be able to do this without it.”
Back in Ruston, church and community members have gathered to raise funds for the Smart family as they attempt to recover from their loss.
