Elora “Ellie” Ann Rudd, a 4-year-old girl from Ogden, Utah, died on Tuesday, January 6, after “fighting for her life” with influenza at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, her mother announced in a Facebook post.
Ellie passed away, cradled in her parents’ arms and dressed in a blue princess gown provided by hospital staff, fulfilling her family’s wish to surround her with love and dignity in her final moments.
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Who was Ellie Rudd?
Ellie Rudd is remembered by loved ones as a joyful child who loved the movie Frozen and the song “You Are My Sunshine”, Sour Patch Kids, and moments spent playing with her siblings, her older sister Mary Jane, her younger brother Kyler, and her baby sister Danielle.
According to the obituary, Ellie was “dressed in a blue princess gown given by the staff … and cradled in her parents’ arms” when she passed away.
Ellie’s family include her dad, Michael Rudd; her mom, Sarah; her three siblings, Mary Jane, Kyler and Danielle; and other loving relatives.
Ranae, Sarah’s sister-in-law, started a GoFundMe page to assist the family with burial and hospital expenses. More than $21,000 has been raised on the page.
The fundraiser’s description read, “She put up a good fight but ultimately succumbed to complications due to blood clots in her heart and lack of blood flow to her brain. She passed quickly.”
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What happened to Ellie?
Her mother, Sarah Rudd, shared photos of Ellie describing her daughter’s courageous fight against illness. Ellie had been hospitalized since January 2, battling complications that included pneumonia, sepsis, internal bleeding and later blood clots and disrupted blood flow to the brain.
In a post on Facebook dated January 4, Sarah asked for prayers for her daughter and wrote that Ellie was “sedated” and on “tons of antibiotics, and blood thinners.”
On the final post of January 6, Sarah wrote, “It’s with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my wonderful Ellie. She battled so long and so hard. She left this mortal realm around 1:50. We love you, and we will miss you.”