(GoFundMe)
A California teen died suddenly January 13, after collapsing while playing on the field during P.E. class.
Lizbeth Perez, 13, a 7th-grader at Luiseno Elementary School in Temecula, Calif., died immediately, despite emergency resuscitation efforts by teachers and paramedics, CBSLA.com reported.
Perez had already overcome health challenges in her short life, after a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy— disease of the heart muscle— as an infant and a heart transplant at age 2.
According to her parents, their big-hearted daughter was ready to go when she collapsed.
“For the last couple of weeks, she wanted to hug mom and say, ‘Mom, I want to go home.’ And mom [said], ‘You are home,’” Lizbeth’s father, Jorge Perez, told the news channel.
Lizbeth wanted three things in life, her mother said: to travel, to rescue dogs and help homeless veterans. The teen played clarinet and was known to break into spontaneous dance, according to the family’s GoFundMe page, created to assist in memorial expenses. Lizbeth leaves behind two younger brothers.
“She was always making peace and loving each other and making sure that people was OK,” Erica Perez said of her daughter.
Her school will host a celebration of Lizbeth’s life on Saturday.
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