The oldest daughter of Eric Garner, the African-American man who was placed in a chokehold by a police officer, has been declared brain dead with no chance of recovery.
Family members were called to Woodhull Hospital to say their final goodbyes to Erica Garner, 27, on the morning of Thursday, Dec. 28, five days after the mother of two suffered a massive heart attack, reported the New York Daily News.
The 27-year-old activist had been in a coma since Christmas Eve when an asthma attack triggered a heart attack, reported the newspaper. She was put on life support on Thursday morning.
“She’s not gone, she’s brain dead,” her mother, Esaw Snipes, told the Daily News. “Physically she is still with us.”
Snipes said doctors discovered that her daughter had heart problems during a pregnancy more than four months ago, reported The New York Times.
According to the person running the official Twitter account for Erica Garner, a CAT scan revealed that Garner “had suffered major brain damage from a lack of oxygen while in cardiac arrest.”
Update: Cat scan shows Erica suffered major brain damage from a lack of oxygen while in cardiac arrest. Please continue to pray hard for Erica and pray for her family and kids just as much.
— officialERICA GARNER (@es_snipes) December 28, 2017
Garner became an outspoken critic of police brutality and campaigned for police accountability in 2014, after her father’s death on Staten Island. Her father’s pleas of “I can’t breathe!” after he was put in a chokehold by a police officer became a protest chant across the country.
Social media users have sent Garner and her family prayers in hope that a miracle would happen.
So sorry to hear this. If any family deserves a miracle…
— Ethan Sacks (@ethanjsacks) December 28, 2017
Damn. Come on Erica, this won't be the end of your story. We all need you in this world.
— Matt Miner (@MattMinerXVX) December 28, 2017
Every day I'm holding @es_snipes in my heart with hope that her spirit – strong, fierce, exacting – will serve her well as she struggles for her life. I've never met Erica, but she is one of my heroes. Fight on, warrior! We are here waiting to hold you.
— Tia Keenan (@kasekaiserina) December 28, 2017
Yes we will. This is breaking my heart. She has endured so much!
— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) December 28, 2017
?
I am hoping for the best for this young woman who has taken her own tragedy and used it to help others from the same fate. She deserves better.— Ron Sprague (@rons_mkay) December 28, 2017
“Right now, the family is just praying and asking for everyone to keep her in their prayers,” Garner’s heartbroken mother told the Times.
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