In Strongsville, Ohio, the Schmidt family is grappling with an unimaginable loss. Four-year-old Maisie Schmidt, known for her vivacious spirit and love for Taylor Swift, passed away suddenly last Tuesday, leaving her family and all who knew her in profound grief.
Maisie’s life was marked by joy and a precocious talent for singing and dancing. Her father, Patric Schmidt, fondly recalls her aspiration to achieve fame like her favorite singer, Taylor Swift, often performing with a toy microphone as the Eras Tour played in the background. Maisie’s other passions included swimming, roller skating, and spending time with her beloved brother, Canaan, eight years her senior.
However, Maisie’s vibrant life was not without its challenges. From a young age, Maisie’s parents, Patric and Christian Brigadier, noticed she would frequently fall ill, more severely than seemed typical for a child her age. Despite numerous visits to various doctors, the cause of her illness remained a mystery, leaving her parents frustrated and deeply concerned.
“Our visits were always met with the same response—that there was nothing wrong,” her mother, Christian, shared. “But we knew something wasn’t right. We could see it every time she played outside and struggled to breathe or when her face turned unusually red. We just wanted answers.”
Tragically, what began as cold symptoms quickly escalated after a visit to urgent care last week. Despite testing negative for strep throat, Maisie’s condition worsened, leading to an emergency room visit where she experienced vomiting, respiratory distress, and was eventually transferred to University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. There, she was intubated and placed on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) but sadly, Maisie’s health continued to decline. She developed a Human Metapneumovirus infection, followed by staph and pneumonia, and suffered a stroke, leading to her untimely passing.
The rarity of Maisie’s condition left medical professionals and her family stunned. “It’s so hard to believe that someone so full of life could be taken so quickly,” lamented Tina McConnaughy, Maisie’s grandmother. “She was our sweet angel.”
In the wake of this tragedy, the Schmidts are determined to share Maisie’s story to underscore the importance of advocating for children’s health and to remind others to cherish every moment with their loved ones. “Don’t take any moments for granted,” Patric advises other parents. “The frustration you feel today over the small things won’t matter tomorrow. Cherish every second.”
To help with medical expenses and funeral costs, a GoFundMe has been established in Maisie’s name. The family has been overwhelmed by the community’s outpouring of support and love for Maisie, emphasizing her incredible impact on those around her. “Maisie was love personified. Everyone who met her, loved her,” Patric said.
As the community prepares to say their final goodbyes at an open showing at Busch Funeral and Crematory Services in Parma, the family also looks toward the future, hopeful that genetic testing may provide the answers they’ve long sought about Maisie’s health. Above all, they hope their experience can help prevent another family from experiencing a similar loss.
Maisie’s legacy—a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the importance of medical advocacy, and the boundless love of a family—will forever be remembered by those she touched in her all-too-brief life.
