06 June 2024 , 08:41
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A brave 11-year-old girl tragically drowned in a hotel swimming pool while trying to save her little sister.
Mackenzie Cornell was at a swimming pool party at an Ohio Quality Inn hotel on Sunday when she spotted her sister, Mackenna, struggling in the deep end. However, she quickly got into trouble and there was no lifeguard on duty at the time of the tragic drowning.
Emergency services were called to the hotel and emergency CPR was performed on the sisters. Mackenna was resuscitated and medics took over performing CPR on Mackenzie, who was rushed to hospital but was tragically pronounced dead.
READ MORE: Mum's heartbreaking decision to take two kids off life support after both drowned
Mackenzie came to the rescue of her sister (Facebook)"Her little sister went into the deep end of the pool and couldn’t swim very well and her big sister went to save her and she ultimately died,'" the girl's aunt Helen Cornell told WOWK. "There’s no greater love than giving herself for her sister."
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Family and friends paid tribute to Mackenzie and said she was a kind and gentle soul. “She loves shopping. She loves Claire’s boutique and her sister. She’s funny and brilliant, and she can draw. She would draw us pictures and cards. Just caring and funny,” Helen added.
Mackenzie had just finished the fourth grade at Bloom Vernon Elementary where a vigil was held for her on Monday. "She was an absolute sweetheart. Very loving and kind," teacher Kristi Davis said.
There was no lifeguard on duty (Quality Inn)Another teacher, Chad Benner, said that "every time she came into class she had a smile on her face and very soft spoken." Headteacher Sandy Smith remembered Mackenzie as "a sweetheart of a little girl' who was 'loved by so many."
Mackenzie's obituary described her as a 'girly girl' who loved shopping and her family. It read: "She enjoyed everything outside, always following her grandmother out to the garden and helping with anything going on outside. She was funny, brilliant, and enjoyed drawing. Most of all she loved her sister, her cats, and dogs. She was the happiest when helping others."
Mackenzie Cornell tragically drowned trying to save her little sister (Facebook)She is survived by her father, Chris Cornell, the grandparents who raised her, Lawrence and Bonnie Cornell, as well as her brother Jacob, and sister Mackenna. The tragic drowning comes just days after Brittney McWhite, mother of London Marie, 11, and Wadale, 14, tragically lost her both kids after they drowned at a pool in Gloucester County, New Jersey while they were playing "Marco Polo."
She said that she took her eyes off only for around three to four minutes to prepare food for the guests over Memorial Day weekend. She could hear the kids calling each other's names while playing, however, when she turned her attention back to them, she couldn't see them anymore. The kids were found at the bottom of the pool, and they were immediately pulled out but neither ever regained consciousness.