Reese Bryan (GoFundMe)
An 8-year-old Nebraska cheerleader died after suffering a massive brain bleed that her parents allege could have been prevented if warning signs had not been ignored by both her coaches and her pediatrician.
Reese Bryan, a member of the Elite Cheer team in Omaha, collapsed during practice on Jan. 29, 2024. Reese had a known neurological condition and had experienced troubling symptoms in the weeks leading up to her death.
Her parents claim that despite these red flags, she was pushed to continue performing physically demanding routines and was later left without urgent medical help when she collapsed. The lawsuit states that Reese had previously shown symptoms, including vomiting during a competition in Kansas City, which should have prompted emergency medical attention.
Cheer personnel had allegedly been advised that such symptoms during physical activity “constitute a need to have her transported on an emergency basis to a hospital.” Nine days after that competition, Reese reportedly told others she felt “dizzy, imbalanced, unable to stand, unable to walk” and “unable to hear,” while also exhibiting facial drooping similar to stroke symptoms.
“The left side of her face was drooping,” her mother, Amanda Bryan, told KETV. “She was slurring her words. She couldn’t stand up. She was shaking uncontrollably. She was cold.”
Instead of calling 911, the lawsuit alleges that employees at Elite Cheer failed to provide aid. “Despite all these symptoms, [Reese] was left alone, isolated and concealed behind mats,” the complaint claims. It further alleges that teammates were instructed not to approach her as she suffered what was later determined to be a massive brain bleed.
The complaint states, “[Reese] suffered as the minutes passed by ongoing and growingly irreversible neurological insult as a result of her brain bleeding. [Reese] sustained progressively worse neurological damage as she lay alone, eyes shut … and unable to move on Elite Cheer’s mat.”
Reese’s mother says she was unaware of the severity of the situation until she arrived to pick up her daughter and received text messages “from one of the owners” as she was “pulling into the parking lot.”
“Had you seen what I walked into, anyone in their right mind would have looked at our child and known she needed help, and she needed it now.” Reese was rushed to a local hospital, where she remained for three weeks before dying on Feb. 23, 2024.
The lawsuit also names Reese’s pediatrician, Dr. Lars E. Vanderbur, alleging medical malpractice. After earlier symptoms, including “dizziness, horizontal nystagmus, ptosis on the right eye,” her parents took her for evaluation.
“Dr. Vanderbur considered imaging but decided against it,” the lawsuit claims. “She was never ordered an MRI, a CAT scan, nothing,” According to the complaint. Reese’s underlying tumor, pilocytic astrocytoma, “was highly treatable if properly diagnosed.” Her parents are seeking a jury trial, alleging negligence by both Elite Cheer and her physician.
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