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Lifestyle & Human Interest

Former Miss Teen Universe Dead at Age 20 After Suffering Heart Attack

 By Sarah Carri  March 9, 2019 at 6:47am
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In 2017, Lotte van der Zee claimed the coveted title of Miss Teen Universe. Now, just over a week after her 20th birthday, the former beauty queen has suddenly passed away.

According to a post shared on Lotte’s Instagram by her parents — Bert van der Zee and Eugeniek van het Hul — the family was on holiday in Westendorf, Austria, during the last week of February when their beloved daughter became ill.

“Lotte started to feel unwell throughout the course of the afternoon,” they wrote. “A feeling that swiftly escalated in sudden cardiac arrest.”

The post went on to say the former Miss Teen Universe was taken to a hospital where she was placed in a coma and supervised closely.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Lieve vrienden, Met het grootst mogelijke verdriet willen wij jullie hierbij informeren over de reden achter Lotte’s publiekelijke afwezigheid de afgelopen dagen. Twee dagen geleden, tijdens onze vakantie in Westendorf – Oostenrijk, begon Lotte zich in de loop van de middag onwel te voelen. Een gevoel dat snel escaleerde in een plotselinge hartstilstand. Ze is naar het dichtstbijzijnde ziekenhuis gebracht waar ze in coma ligt en momenteel onder intensieve supervisie van de artsen in slaap wordt gehouden, zodat zij haar gezondheid kunnen monitoren. Bij voorbaat dank voor de liefdevolle woorden over onze dochter. We zijn dankbaar voor de steun van iedereen en danken jullie uit de grond van ons hart voor jullie liefde en positiviteit in deze tijden waarin zij dit het meeste nodig heeft. We waarderen het respect voor onze privacy in deze moeilijke tijd. Neem bij vragen alsjeblieft contact op met het management van Lotte. Liefs, Haar ouders – Bert van der Zee & Eugeniek van het Hul —————————————————————————— Dear friends, It is with the deepest sadness that we have to inform you about the reason behind Lotte’s public absence the past couple of days. Two days ago, during our holiday in Westendorf – Austria, Lotte started to feel unwell throughout the course of the afternoon. A feeling that swiftly escalated in sudden cardiac arrest. She was helped to the nearest hospital where she got into a coma and is since then kept a sleep under intensive supervision of the doctors in order to monitor her health. Thank you in advance for the loving words about our daughter. We are grateful for everyone’s support and sincerely thank you for your love and positivity in these times when she needs it most. We are grateful for the privacy during this difficult time. Our wish is that it continues that way. If you have any questions, please contact Lotte’s management. With love, Her parents – Bert van der Zee & Eugeniek van het Hul

A post shared by LOTTE VAN DER ZEE (@lotte_zee) on

A heartbreaking update was shared at the beginning of March. Lotte’s parents expressed their gratitude to all for their encouragement during the trying time.

“We want to thank you for all the beautiful messages and for your sincere and loving support,” they said. “It is wonderful to see how many people are intensely involved with Lotte and with us.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Lieve allemaal, “Als je verdriet met elkaar deelt kan je verdrietig en gelukkig tegelijk zijn.” Dit is iets dat jullie ons de afgelopen week hebben laten voelen. Daarom willen we jullie ontzettend bedanken voor alle mooie berichten en voor jullie oprechte en liefdevolle steun. Het is prachtig om te zien hoeveel mensen intens met Lotte en ons meeleven. Hoewel de machteloosheid ons in eerste instantie liet denken dat we er alleen voor stonden hebben we uit alle steunbetuigingen juist kracht weten te putten en we zijn ervan overtuigd dat Lotte dit ook zo voelt. Wij ervaren jullie steun als werkelijk hartverwarmend. Lotte’s situatie is helaas nog onveranderd. Wel is ze inmiddels overgebracht naar een universitair ziekenhuis in München, waar zij nog steeds in kritieke toestand onder intense supervisie van artsen in slaap wordt gehouden. We wilden dit graag persoonlijk met jullie delen en waarderen het respect voor onze privacy gedurende deze moeilijke tijd nog steeds enorm. Neem bij vragen alsjeblieft contact op met het management van Lotte. Liefs, Haar ouders – Bert van der Zee & Eugeniek van der Zee van het Hul Dear all, “If you share grief with each other you can be sad and happy at the same time.” This is something that you have made us experience this past week. That is why we want to thank you for all the beautiful messages and for your sincere and loving support. It is wonderful to see how many people are intensely involved with Lotte and with us. Even though the feeling of powerlessness made us think that we were in this alone at first we were able to draw a massive amount of strength from all your loving support. We are convinced that Lotte feels this too. Lotte’s situation is unfortunately still unchanged. However, she has now been transferred to an academic hospital in Munich, where she is still kept a sleep under intensive supervision of the doctors in order to monitor her health. We wanted to share this with you personally and appreciate the respect for our privacy during this difficult time. If you have any more questions, please contact Lotte’s management. Love, Her parents – Bert van der Zee & Eugeniek van der Zee van het Hul

A post shared by LOTTE VAN DER ZEE (@lotte_zee) on

The post went on to explain that their daughter had been transferred to an academic hospital in Munich, Germany, where she continued under a medically induced coma and constant supervision.

According to The Sun, her parents told a Dutch newspaper that Lotte had spent some time out with her friends the evening preluding her heart attack.

Related:
Watch: Vanna White Breaks Down in Tears as She Says Goodbye to Pat Sajak

 

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How nice is February going to be? #mybirthdaythismonth ? #holliday ❄️ #carnaval ? and hopefully so much more ✨

A post shared by LOTTE VAN DER ZEE (@lotte_zee) on

Her parents told the newspaper their daughter had come back “cheerfully and without health complaints.” It wasn’t until the next day that things started to spiral.

After skipping breakfast, her parents checked on her and discovered she was still in bed, not feeling well. Later on, a heart attack ensued.

Tragically on March 7, they announced the young woman had passed.

“It is incredibly surreal that our dearly beloved Lotte is not around us anymore,” they wrote. “Our hearts are truly broken.”

“We would like to thank you all again for all the support and heartwarming messages.”

Such a beautiful girl with so much life left to live. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

It remains a mystery what caused Lotte’s heart attack in the first place; tests will hopefully determine the cause soon.

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Sarah Carri
Contributor, Lifestyle
Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.
Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.

Sarah's experience as a successful working stay-at-home mom and business owner has given her the chance to write and research often. She stays up to date on the latest in entertainment and offers her views on celebrity stories based on her wide knowledge of the industry. Her success as a former preschool teacher and licensed daycare provider lend to her know-how on topics relating to parenting and childhood education.

Her thoughts on faith and family issues stem from home life and ministry work. Sarah takes time to attend workshops and classes annually that help her to improve and hone her writing craft. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature program and her writing has been acclaimed by ACFW and ECPA.
Education
Institute of Children's Literature, Art Institute of Phoenix (Advertising), University of California Irvine (Theater), Snow College (Early Childhood Education)
Location
Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Entertainment, Faith




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