Connecticut College Gymnast's Organs Will Be Donated After She Died Following Freak Accident

Photo: Southern Connecticut State University

Melanie Coleman’s organs will be donated after shedied following a freak gymnastics accidentover the weekend, her family said.

In a statement toWTNH, Coleman’s family said, “We are confident that her spirit, laughter, and humor will live on through the ones who loved her most, as well as through the gift of life to those who needed it most through organ donation.”

Coleman, a junior on Southern Connecticut State University’s gymnastics team, was training on Friday, Nov. 8, when she sustained a serious injury during an accident, theuniversity announced on their websiteon Monday.

The Milford native, 20, who was working toward a degree in nursing, died just two days later at Yale-New Haven hospital on Sunday, Nov. 10.

Coleman reportedly slipped on the uneven bars at New Era Training Facility, a rented, off-campus gymnastics facility in Hamden, and suffered upper body injuries, according to theHartford Courant.

Thomas Alberti, the owner of New Era who coached Coleman for close to 10 years, called her death “an unexpected accident with a tragic result.”

Coleman was a graduate of Jonathan Law High School, where she also earned team captain, most valuable player, and all-state accolades. She joined the SCSU Owls in 2017-18 as a freshman and competed alongside her older sister Tiffany until the latter’s graduation last year, according to the university.

She also gave back to her community, volunteering as a youth instructor at New Era.

In the wake of her tragic death, a GoFundMe page and aMealTrainhas been set up for Coleman’s family — including her parents and four siblings — to help them deal with this “unfathomable loss.”

source: people.com