texas

Family Fights for New Law After Daughter's Death

During the final days of her life, two-year-old Blaire Bravenec's story caught the attention of people not only around North Texas but all over the world. Now her parents hope it will spark change for the Texas law they fought to make sure it was really her time to go.

It was June 12 when Blaire nearly drowned during an accident at her Waxahachie home.

Her parents Darren and Emily were hopeful she'd recover after paramedics found a heartbeat. But just two days after arriving at Children's Health, a doctor told them she'd be signing a death certificate if Blaire couldn't pass a brain stimulation test.

"That's the first time we realized they're ready to call it on her, and we haven't even been here that long. I mean, you give people longer to get over the flu," said Emily Bravenec.

That's when the Bravenecs learned that Texas is one of the few states where doctors rather than parents get to make the final say on when it's time to pull life support.

"It sucks enough that you're having to say goodbye to a loved one, but you should be able to do that on your own terms," said Emily.

Emily and Darren threw themselves into a fight, turning to social media for prayers that Blaire would show some kind of improvement while searching for an attorney that could help them get the hospital to give her more time.

"You tell any parent there's a .001 percent chance that you have a positive outcome, every parent's going to take it. Every parent's going to want to fight for it," said Darren Bravenec.

And though they won, on day 18 of their hospital stay they decided Blaire's fight had come to an end.

"Even though we'd much rather still have her here with us, we can have peace knowing we fought as hard as we possibly could for her. We got to have a say in when and how she went, and I think every family should have that," said Emily.

That's why they're now using Blaire's story to petition state lawmakers to make a change.

"Nothing will ever make it worth losing your child, but it will make it a little easier knowing that her life helped other people have more time," said Emily.

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