'It's going to be a roller coaster'
MARS — The father of a Butler High School student who collapsed on Friday and died at home in the shower said an autopsy showed an undiagnosed heart condition likely caused her death at age 17.
Michael Rapp said the family was told one of the valves in Brianne Rapp's heart was smaller than normal. The teen also dealt with a thyroid issue, he said.
Rapp said his daughter had blacked out a few times in the past, and the family had taken her to the doctor to try to figure out the cause of the fainting spells.
“She even had a stress test once,” Rapp said of the medical procedures performed to determine the cause of the blackouts.
He said the coroner told the family that no matter how many tests were run on Brianne, the valve issue would probably not have been discovered.
“Our family this past couple months has had a rough go,” said Rapp.
The 6-foot-10-inch father hit his head in late March and collapsed, which necessitated emergency surgery. He was told by doctors that he would never walk again.
“But I told Brianne, 'When you graduate next year, I'll get up and walk,'” Rapp said.
He has physical therapy several times a week, and has been able to walk short distances using a walker.
“I canceled all my therapy this week, obviously,” Rapp said.
In addition, Rapp's 40th birthday was Saturday, the day after his ex-wife called to tell him Brianne had collapsed in the shower and died.
“So for my birthday, we were at the funeral home making arrangements,” he said.
In a heartbreaking episode, Brianne's 4-year-old sister was told Brianne had earned her angel's wings and flew away to heaven, but will always watch over her.The youngster picked up her sister's phone and after telling the family Brianne had forgotten her phone, she accidentally dialed 911 and asked dispatchers if she could talk to her sister.Brianne's 12-year-old brother is holding up, Rapp said, but will likely be most affected by the loss in the weeks and months to come.“It's going to be a roller coaster,” Rapp said. “She loved her brother and sister and no matter what they were doing, she always had a smile on her face for them.”He described Brianne as a normal teenager who fought getting up for school sometimes, but said she also possessed an unusual selflessness and drive to help others.In recent days, Rapp has gotten calls and text messages from friends — many of whom he hasn't seen for years — recalling their interactions with the caring and cheerful Brianna.“If she had an enemy, by the end of the day, they were her friend,” Rapp said.Brianne loved to draw and frequently sang popular tunes in the basement at the top of her lungs. She was also a cheerleader in her younger years, and was looking forward to getting her driver's license in the near future, Rapp said.She also enjoyed traveling with her family, and recently spent the day with them at Waldameer Park in Erie.“Her mom always put her first and was like a sister to her,” Rapp said of Kimberly Shultz, Brianne's mother.Because he has not been able to work for the past three months due to his injury, Rapp wondered where he would get the money to provide his daughter with the send-off she deserves.Enter sympathetic Butler County citizens, who donated more than $8,200 on gofundme.com as of Monday afternoon.“I know Butler is getting a bad name, but this community has really been coming together like you wouldn't believe (to help the family),” Rapp said. “I'm really proud of Butler right now.”Rapp said a spaghetti dinner fundraiser will be held at 6 p.m. until food runs out on Monday at Smokin' Toads BBQ on Route 356 in Sarver.Any funds over and above the funeral costs will go toward college scholarships for Brianne's two siblings.“We are overwhelmed and thankful for everything,” Rapp said.Visitation for Brianne Rapp will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, and a funeral will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Hill United Presbyterian Church.
