Illinois High School Swimmer Dies After Suffering Stroke at Practice: 'Our Hearts Are Mourning'

“His immediate family was in attendance and able to see him" before James Oliver died Sunday night, according to an update via the family's GoFundMe page

An Illinois high school freshman died Sunday night, 11 days after suffering a stroke after swim practice.

James Oliver’s family said he died at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago after suffering a stroke following his high school swim team’s practice on Dec. 8.

“The Oliver family is heartbroken to say that James passed away peacefully at 7 pm,” read an update on a GoFundMe page launched this month to help the Oliver family with medical bills. “His immediate family was in attendance and able to see him. The family wishes to give their deepest thanks to everyone who offered thoughts and prayers for James throughout his ordeal. This support during such a painful experience was enormously meaningful and will never be forgotten.”

Oliver was born with arteriovenous malformations, or AVM(s), according to the GoFundMe page. The condition “occurs when arteries and veins aren't formed correctly in an area of the body,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. “Sometimes AVMs can reduce the amount of oxygen getting to the brain and spinal cord,” according to the medical center.

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Last week, Oliver had appeared to be improving, his family said in previous updates on the GoFundMe page. Supporters have so far donated nearly $35,000 in the last week and a half.

"As a school community, our thoughts are with his brother, Sean, a GHS junior, his family and friends, and our hearts are mourning this loss," Geneva High School principal Tom Rogers wrote in an email to students this week, according to Patch.com.

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The school principal reminded students that the school was offering grief counseling and that the staff “loves and cares about you and recognizes the feelings you may be experiencing,” the local news website reported.

"It is important to remember that at times like this, we are one community, and my hope is that we will find strength in each other during this very difficult time," Rogers reportedly added.

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The Kane County Chronicle reports that James is survived by his parents Molly and Rob, as well as his brother Sean, who is also on the varsity swim team.

School swim coach Jennifer Heyer-Olsen told The Chronicle that James was a member of the school’s junior varsity team.

“Summer mornings in the pool will never be the same without experiencing the brotherly love, silliness, and ongoing whispering (usually regarding trading cards) between Sean and James,” Heyer-Olsen told the newspaper. “I am so grateful that I had the privilege to coach James, know James, and spend time with James and his family.”

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