Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) released a statement about his 17-year-old daughter, Gwen Casten, who died in June.
The family revealed the death was sudden cardiac arrhythmia, or “in layman’s terms, she was fine, and then her heart stopped.”
“We don’t know what caused the arrhythmia, and likely never will,” the statement said, going on to describe Gwen as a healthy child.
“She ate well, exercised, got regular check-ups, didn’t suffer from any behavioral health issues, and had close relationships with family and friends,” Casten said. “She was fully vaccinated, and quarantined after occasional positive, asymptomatic COVID tests during the omicron wave.”
In an earlier statement, Casten said she had dinner with their family then went out with friends. She never woke up the next morning.
“We are heartbroken, but we are not unique,” the statement continued. “Sudden, unexplained heart-failure among young, healthy people is rare but real. We are left grasping at the wrong end of random chance.”
The family expressed its gratitude for the outpouring of support they’ve received since her death.
“She had a big, beautiful, kind, loving heart. And it stopped, as all must. None of us know when our last heartbeat will come. 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,” the family said.
The statement ended with a call to cherish time with loved ones.
A statement from the Casten family: pic.twitter.com/fHryLYeJif
— Rep. Sean Casten (@RepCasten) October 7, 2022