Sarah was a Roxy team member and part of the Quiksilver family. The below was just sent to all within the Quiksilver family.
RIP Sarah
Hi Everyone,
Today I come to you with sad news. It is an unbearable ending to an event you all have been following.
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Roxy team skier Sarah Burke at 9:22am MST this morning.
Sarah, who has been a team rider for the past six years and a very large part of the Roxy family, will be missed beyond words.
We know so many of you are suffering as we are suffering right now. Please know that our hearts are with her family and they are incredibly appreciative and grateful for the outpouring of love and support they have received from the community during this time.
Sarah was a pioneer of her generation and for action sports. She has touched so many and accomplished so much in her time with us.
Sarah’s memory will live on. Her skiing legacy continues to inspire people everywhere to believe in themselves and follow their hearts. Her passing is not a cause to pack up our skis or our boards, but a reason to step in and ski our asses off for Sarah and the dreams that she inspired.
Please visit
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Burke/50553451173 if you wish to leave a message of support. Her family is reading every word.
Sarah has contributed much to our world and was an inspiration to so many. If you would like to help her family during this time, please visit
www.giveforward.com/SarahBurke <http://www.giveforward.com/SarahBurke> .
We will miss you Sarah.
See below for a word from her family:
The family expresses their heartfelt gratitude for the international outpouring of support they have received from all the people Sarah touched.
The family will not be making any other public comments about Sarah’s accident. They continue to decline media requests for appearances or interviews. Thank you for continuing to respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.
January 19, 2012
Groundbreaking Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke passed away at 9:22AM January 19, 2012 at the University of Utah Hospital from injuries sustained in an accident on the Eagle Superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort on Tuesday, January 10, 2012. She was training for upcoming winter events.
As the result of Sarah’s fall, she suffered a ruptured vertebral artery, one of the four major arteries supplying blood to the brain. The rupture of this artery led to a severe intracranial hemorrhage, which caused Sarah to go into cardiac arrest on the scene. Emergency personnel responded and CPR was administered on the scene during which time she remained without a pulse or spontaneous breathing. Studies in the University of Utah Hospital Emergency Department indicated that she retained brainstem function. She was placed on life support and a protocol of therapeutic hypothermia was initiated to protect her brain. An angiogram indicated the site of arterial bleeding, and on Wednesday, January 11 the injured artery was successfully repaired.
After the operation, numerous neurological examinations, electrodiagnostic tests and imaging studies revealed that Sarah sustained severe irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest, resulting in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Sarah passed away peacefully surrounded by those she loved. In accordance with Sarah’s wishes, her organs and tissues were donated to save the lives of others.
While early reports in the media stated that Sarah’s injury was a traumatic brain injury, it is important to note that Sarah’s condition was the result of a lack of oxygen to the brain during cardiac arrest.
The family wishes to express their deep gratitude to Sarah’s dear friends for their love and support, and for traveling to Salt Lake City to comfort the family.
They would also like to thank the University of Utah Hospital and her physicians and care team in the Neuro Critical Care Unit for their incredible care and compassion.
The family was moved by the sincere and heartfelt sympathy expressed by people inspired by Sarah from all around the world. They have received a substantial number of inquiries from those who would like to make a contribution on behalf of Sarah. For more information, please go to
http://www.giveforward.com/sarahburke.
A public celebration of Sarah’s life will be held in the coming weeks.
