A Louisiana family is grieving the heartbreaking loss of 8-year-old Lillian Smart, who died Aug. 22 after health officials believe she contracted a rare and often deadly brain infection linked to swimming in a northern Louisiana lake.

Lillian died at a Ruston hospital just one day after celebrating her eighth birthday.

“The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from,” the Smart family shared in a statement posted on Facebook. “Everyone did everything they could to keep her here. We are heartbroken and honestly do not know what to do next. How do we put one foot in front of the other without our girl?”

The Louisiana Department of Health announced Wednesday that a state resident had been hospitalized after becoming infected with Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba that can cause a rare brain infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM.

The state has not publicly identified Lillian as the patient in that announcement. However, her family said on social media that she had been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at a Ruston hospital and identified Naegleria fowleri as the cause of her illness.

Health officials said the infection was most likely acquired while the patient was swimming in Lake Claiborne shortly before becoming sick.

Naegleria fowleri is sometimes called a “brain-eating amoeba,” though infections are extremely rare. The amoeba can enter the body when contaminated water goes up the nose. From there, it can travel to the brain and cause severe damage. People cannot become infected simply by swallowing contaminated water.

The amoeba is not found in saltwater or in properly chlorinated swimming pools.

Symptoms often begin with headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. They can quickly progress to a stiff neck, seizures and coma. According to health officials, symptoms usually appear about five days after infection, and the disease can lead to death within one to two weeks.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 97% of people who develop PAM die from the infection. The CDC reported two cases nationwide last year. Of the 173 infections documented in the United States over roughly the past 90 years, nearly 91% occurred in July and August.

Louisiana has recorded three previous deaths linked to Naegleria fowleri since 2011. Two cases happened in 2011 after people used tap water to rinse their sinuses. In 2013, a 4-year-old boy contracted the amoeba while playing on a slip-and-slide at a home in St. Bernard Parish. Officials later said CDC testing detected the amoeba in the parish water system.

For many parents, Lillian’s death is a painful reminder of how fragile life can be. A normal summer swim turned into an unimaginable tragedy for one family now asking how to move forward without their little girl.

In moments like this, there are no easy words. But Scripture reminds believers that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18). As Lillian’s family mourns, pray that God will meet them in their grief and carry them through the days ahead.

Lord, please comfort Lillian’s family in their sorrow. Surround them with Your peace, give them strength for each day, and remind them they are not alone. Amen.