Australian toddler ‘loses battle’ after pulled from Bali pool unresponsive

The parents who tragically lost their little girl after a near-drowning accident in Bali have issued a statement, thanking everyone for the outpouring of support and asking for privacy moving forward.

Kawa Sweeney was declared brain dead after spending two nights at Perth’s Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. The Australian three-year-old had been rushed to Perth on medevac on Monday after she was pulled out of a pool, unresponsive, in Bali the day before.

An Australian surgeon staying at the same villa complex in Uluwatu performed CPR for 45 minutes, restarting her heart and waiting for further medical attention that reportedly took nearly two hours to come.

“Unfortunately, in spite of all the hopes and prayers Kawa has lost her battle. Family are saying goodbye today,” reads a statement from the girl’s parents, Des Sweeney and Dee Tang, posted to GoFundMe on Thursday.

It’s believed that her family made the impossible decision to pull the toddler off life support yesterday afternoon.

“We would like to thank everyone who has gone above and beyond in all of this. Thank you to Grant, Laura and Brittany, everyone who helped us in Bali, the medivac team, the doctors and the incredible nurses at Princess Margaret Hospital in the PICU who have been with us 24/7 since arriving in Perth.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported us with their thoughts, prayers, love and donations. We are overwhelmed with your generosity and are grateful for all that you have given us in this difficult time.”

Kawa’s father, Des Sweeney also posted a moving tribute to his daughter on his Instagram account, further thanking everyone for their support:

So much love for our little girl. This is Kawa at our favourite beach in Newport. Her special place. We are overwhelmed by your prayers, thoughts and well wishes Your meditations are received.❤️ They are getting us through this difficult time. Thank you.x

A post shared by Desmond Sweeney (@8footwalls) on Jul 25, 2017 at 11:30pm PDT

Following the family’s statement on GoFundMe, comes a plea from family friend, Pearl Tan to give the family space in this time of grieving. Tan set up the GoFundMe page, “Get Kawa Home” directly following the young girl’s accident, as they faced mounting medical costs and their insurance did not cover medevac, which needed to be paid outright.

“If we can respect the family’s privacy as they process what has happened, they would be very appreciative. Thank you,” Tan wrote.