Fourth-grader died one day after strep throat and flu diagnosis

A fourth-grader in Ohio died one day after she was diagnosed with strep throat and influenza, according to district officials and her heartbroken mother.

Sable Paige Gibson passed away late Wednesday after she went into cardiac arrest, Mason City Schools officials announced Thursday.

“Please join us in keeping the Gibson family in our daily thoughts and prayers as they navigate these very difficult days,” a statement on Facebook read. “We also lift up all of Sable’s classmates, teachers and support staff.”

Additional counselors were made available to students on Thursday at Western Row Elementary in Mason, which Sable attended. Memorial services for the girl are pending, district officials said.

“It’s moments like these that we come together as a community to walk alongside one another and care for each other,” the statement continued.

In a separate letter to parents, district officials asked students, teachers and others to wear pink in Sable’s honor. They also provided tips on how to discuss death with children, WSAZ reports.

The girl’s mother, meanwhile, said her heart was “shattered” by Sable’s death.

“It is with shattered hearts that we share that our sweet Sable Paige took her first steps into Jesus’ arms tonight,” Holly Rauch Gibson posted on Facebook. “Please, please, please pray for our family in this dark time. We can’t imagine our lives without our baby girl.”