RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A Randolph County couple is preparing to lay their 9-year-old daughter to rest after she died from flu complications.
It’s a pain Mary Edging and her fiancé Jimmy Vernon wouldn’t wish on anybody after losing their daughter Madeline Vernon on Jan. 29.
The 9-year-old was a third grader at Randleman Elementary School and very athletic.
She served the ball for her recreational volleyball team and was a goalie for her recreational soccer team.
Besides being a team player, Madeline’s mother says she was a little girl with a big heart.
“I literally feel like my heart was ripped in half. I literally lost a piece of me. She loved everybody … If she saw you one time, she would talk about you and how much meeting someone meant,” Edging said.
Edging says about two weeks ago her daughter got sick. She took Madeline to Urgent Care where doctors said she had the flu.
“Tuesday morning when she got up, she had a fever of 104.9. We took her back to Urgent Care because I took her to the hospital the night before, and her lung was nothing but infection,” Edging said.
Edging says even at the hospital, Madeline was in good spirits.
“There was someone sitting across from us. Maddy kept smiling at them. It didn’t matter if she knew you or not, she was going to smile,” Edging said.
Sadly, the light Madeline brought to the world was taken away. She passed away at Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem.
While her parents can’t believe their little girl is gone, they say they’re staying strong for her sister.
“It’s hard to process. We have to be strong for that little girl … We have to be strong for Katlyn. I have to be strong for Mary and Katyln, so that’s the main priority right now,” Jimmy said.
Edging says her daughter did not receive the flu vaccine, and she advocates for others to get the shot.
A celebration of life for Madeline will take place on Feb. 17 at the Randleman Civic Center from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
