An eight-year-old cheerleader in Nebraska died after suffering a major brain bleed and collapsing at practice.
Reese Bryan died in the hospital on February 23, 2024, three weeks after the incident at Elite Cheer Team in Omaha.
According to her family, she had gone to practice seemingly healthy, but began vomiting and collapsed after being 'required' to perform back flips repeatedly.
She was taken to the hospital where she died three weeks later. In October 2024, an autopsy revealed she had an undetected tumor in her brain.
Now, Reese's parents are suing her pediatrician for failing to detect the tumor at an appointment days before her collapse, and the cheerleading squad, who they say should have called 911 immediately when the girl began vomiting.
In a lawsuit obtained by the Daily Mail, the family also claims that the cheerleading team was aware of an 'existing neurological condition' that should have stopped Reese from doing back flips, because she had taken ill at a different event weeks earlier.
The girl first showed symptoms on January 20 when she collapsed at a cheerleading competition in Kansas City. According to the complaint, she suffered from 'dizziness, horizontal nystagmus, ptosis on the right eye'.
Reese Bryan, 8, was suffering from an underlying brain tumor that went undiagnosed and untreated while she remained a committed member of the Elite Cheer team in Omaha
A series of symptoms resulted in the young girl's hospitalization before she tragically passed away from a huge brain bleed in early 2024, her heartbroken family have said in a lawsuit
Her parents collected her, and they returned to Omaha the next day, where they took her to urgent care.
She tested positive for strep throat and was given antibiotics but her condition did not improve over the next several days so the family booked an appointment with Dr. Lars Vanderbur, Reese's regular pediatrician.
Rather than ordering CT scans to check her brain, Vanderbur diagnosed her with 'post-infection fatigue', per the complaint.
He also failed to warn them against any strenuous physical activity, according to the complaint.
'She was never ordered an MRI, CAT scan, nothing,' her mother, Amanda Bryan, told KETV.
On January 29, five days later, Reese went to practice at Elite Cheer.
In their lawsuit, her parents say she was 'required to perform back flips, back handsprings and other tumbling activities'.
At some point during the practice, she began vomiting and became unable to stand, walk or hear.
They say her face began to droop, and that it was clear something was drastically wrong.
Instead of calling 911 immediately, Reese's mother says the cheerleading squad instead sent her a text telling her that her daughter was 'vomiting'.
By the time her mother arrived at the practice, she said it was clear something far more serious was happening.
'The left side of her face was drooping. She was slurring her words. She couldn't stand up. She was shaking uncontrollably. She was cold,' she told KETV.
It was then that the young girl was rushed to hospital by her mother, where she remained for three weeks before she passed away on February 23, 2024.
It's unclear why it took eight months for the autopsy to be returned, but when it came back it revealed the brain tumor that Reese's parents were unaware of.
In their lawsuit, the family claims it was the pediatrician's negligence that led to the tumor going undetected.
They also blame Elite for not rushing to call 911 when Reese showed signs of illness at the practice.
'Elite and its owners, its employees and agents knew from recent past experiences that Reese vomiting during cheer or tumbling constitutes a need to have her transported on an emergency basis to a hospital,' the complaint seen by the Daily Mail states.
The complaint also claimed that, 'despite all these symptoms,' Bryan was 'left alone' by her cheer coaches and 'concealed behind mats,' as fellow teammates were told by personnel not to approach her.
Bryan was described as a 'vibrant, loving, beautiful, caring, generous, beat of an athlete, smart, AMAZING little girl' in an obituary written by her heartbroken relatives
Bryan complained of feeling 'dizzy, imbalanced, unable to stand, unable to walk...unable to hear,' and displayed facial asymmetry reminiscent of a stroke on January 29, 2024
The complaint accused Elite cheer, its employees and Vanderbur of medical malpractice and negligence. The grieving parents have requested a jury trial
According to a complaint filed by Bryan's parents, Elite Cheer and her doctor allegedly ignored symptoms and her coaches forced her to perform at a competition weeks before her death
Elite Cheer's attorneys told KETV: 'Elite Cheer was deeply saddened by Reese's passing, and their thoughts and prayers remain with the Bryan family.
'Due to ongoing legal proceedings, Elite Cheer is unable to comment further. Out of respect for the Bryan family and their expressed wish for privacy, Elite Cheer refrains from additional comment.'
Children's Physicians told the outlet on behalf of Vanderbur: 'Children's Physicians does not comment on pending litigation.
'Our top priority is delivering safe, high-quality care, which we strive to provide for every child we treat. Our thoughts are with this family.'
The complaint accused Elite cheer, its employees and Vanderbur of medical malpractice and negligence. The grieving parents have requested a jury trial.
'We want justice for Reese so bad,' her mother said.
Neither defendant has filed formal answers in court.
