The pageant queen passed away a day before her 20th birthday after suffering a heart attack that put her into a coma for weeks before she was 'taken off the machine.'
- Mar 9, 2019
AceShowbiz - Former Miss Teenager Universe Lotte Van Der Zee has died at the age of 19 after suffering a heart attack. Her parents Bert van der Zee and Eugeniek van het Hul announced the sad news on her Instagram account on Friday, March 8.
"Our pearl, our everything passed away on Wednesday evening March 6th at 22:47," read the statement which was posted in two languages. "It is incredibly surreal that our dearly beloved Lotte is not around us anymore. Our hearts are truly broken. We would like to thank you all again for all the support and heartwarming messages."
Lotte suffered a heart attack during a family ski trip in Westendorf, Austria on February 20. Her parents revealed her health issue on February 22, writing, "Two days ago, during our holiday in Westendorf - Austria, Lotte started to feel unwell throughout the course of the afternoon. A feeling that swiftly escalated in sudden cardiac arrest."
They continued, "She was helped to the nearest hospital where she got into a coma and is since then kept a sleep under intensive supervision of the doctors in order to monitor her health."
A week ago, Lotte's parents gave an update on her condition. "Lotte's situation is unfortunately still unchanged," they said. "However, she has now been transferred to an academic hospital in Munich, where she is still kept a sleep under intensive supervision of the doctors in order to monitor her health."
Lotte's mom Eugeniek told De Limburger that her daughter's condition worsened after she fell into a coma. "It started with her kidneys," she shared. "She was then put on kidney dialysis, which kept her alive."
She explained their decision to take her off the machine after weeks in coma, "But when it became clear on Wednesday that it would not be okay, she was taken off the machine. Lotte has had to endure a lot over the past few days. We did not want any further suffering."
The Dutch model won the pageant competition, which is commonly abbreviated Miss Teen Universe, in 2017. She died just a day before her 20th birthday.
Miss Teenager Pageant Organization sent its condolences through its official Instagram account. "Losing someone we loved is not easy, but knowing that we have been able to be part of her life, it hast been amazing journey, we now realize that we were blessed the your share your life and career with us. @lotte_zee Our deepest condolences to your family and friends," read the statement.
