Tennessee cheerleader, 15, dies from traumatic brain injury after a tree fell ... trends now
A Tennessee high school cheerleader has died from a traumatic brain injury after a tree fell on her during a severe storm as winds reached up to 79mph.
Aleya Brooks, 15, was helping her family clear debris on their Hendersonville driveway, about 18 miles north of Nashville, on Friday when she was struck amid a devastating storm that led to down power lines.
Brooks was rushed to the trauma unit at Skyline Hospital while unconsciously bleeding out in her mother's arms.
The Liberty Creek High School student was placed on life support in critical condition with deep bleeding in her brain - along with head and face fractures. She passed away the next day.
'This is not the ending any of us hoped or prayed for,' her father, Jason Brooks, wrote on Facebook. 'We just stood there, holding her hand, stroking her hair, and reminding her how much she is loved even though she could not respond.'
Aleya Brooks, 15, was helping her family clear debris on their Henderson driveway, about 18 miles north of Nashville, on Friday when she was struck by a falling tree
Brooks was rushed to the trauma unit at Skyline Hospital while unconsciously bleeding out in her mother's arms. Pictured: Aleya with her father Jason
Aleya was adopted by Jason and Darla from China when she was 9-months-old. She had aspirations to become a neuropsychologist to heal brain injuries.
'It's really hard that our daughter, who wanted to hear so many, actually, died of a traumatic brain injury,' Jason told WZTV.
The teenager was a competing cheerleader, who previously tore her ACL.
'She wrote this essay about her torn ACL, and she said, "Mom, I want another story - that one is two years old," and I said, "just pray about it, God will give you another story,"' Darla recalled.
She added: 'I don't like this story, but it is her story.'
Jason recalled the devastating moment he saw his daughter on life support while with his family.
'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,' Jason wrote.
'The neurosurgeon could only say, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. This is a horrific injury."'
After doctors were unable to reduce Aleya's brain swelling and stabilize her vitals, her family decided to choose 'the only path possible.'
'After a hard fight, our daughter is in the arms of Jesus now,' Jason wrote in a grieving post.
While Aleya's young life was cut short, her family will honor her legacy by raising money for the 'advancement of care and research for neurological and brain disorders,' Jason
