Nathan Vredevelt Passes Away

Nathan Verdevelt, the boy with down syndrome that wandered out of a luxury box at Sunday night's game and onto the I-5, was taken off of life support today. He fought for days, but his injuries remained too severe.
The Vredevelt family issued this statement:

“We cannot thank you enough for the outpouring of your love and support. Your prayers are carrying us, and God is revealing his grace minute by minute.”

On Wednesday, doctors also told Nathan’s family to stay near him.

Nathan Vredevelt passed away peacefully today, Thursday, March 05, 2009, surrounded by family. He never regained consciousness from his injuries, and was removed from life support. He did not feel any pain.

This is an incredibly sad story, but at the same time, should have Blazers fans feeling pretty proud for their efforts. In just days after Nathan was struck by multiple cars, the Blazers and their fans gathered over $40,000 to assist the Vredevelt family through this horrible time.

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