She had just undergone a double lung transplant.
YouTuber Claire Wineland, who chronicled her battle with cystic fibrosis and was an inspiration to many with the same disease, died Sunday, one week after receiving a lung transplant. She was 21.
"Last night at 6:00pm, Claire Wineland our inspirational founder passed away," Wineland's foundation, Claire's Place, said in a statement Monday. "She was not in any pain and the medical staff said it was the most peaceful passing they had ever witnessed.
"She was surrounded by love and with her mother Melissa Yeager and father John Wineland; they saw her into this world for her first breath and were with her for her last," the statement continued.
Wineland experienced a stroke due to a blood clot on Aug. 26 after undergoing a successful double lung transplant, according to the statement. For a week, doctors tried everything they could to save her life, but it soon "became clear that it was Claire's time to go," the statement read.
In her death, Wineland saved at least two people through donating her organs, her mother told CNN.
Wineland honestly and at times painfully documented her battle with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and limits the ability to breathe.
In one of her very last videos before she underwent the double lung transplant, Wineland spoke candidly about how she never expected to live as long as she did.
"It hurts everything inside of me to make this video. I didn't realize how much I didn't expect to live this long," she said. "The years of telling myself I can do it on my own are over."
She later implored viewers to enjoy their lives. "Go enjoy it, 'cause there are people fighting like hell for it."
Wineland's family will continue to advance the work of Claire's Place, which supports families of those living with cystic fibrosis. They ask that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the foundation.
"She was one red hot spark of inspiration and joy, wasn’t she?" the statement concluded. "Rest In Peace Sweet Warrior Claire, we will continue where you left off."
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