Douglas student dies two weeks after swimming accident

Douglas High School students are mourning the death of a classmate today.

Sophomore Molly Lahlum, who collapsed during a swim meet two weeks ago in Carson City, died early this morning.

She had been in ICU at Renown since the accident.

The family posted the following message to the Caring Bridge Web site, where they'd been updating Molly's condition over the past several weeks:

"As some of you may already know, Molly passed away this morning around 3 a.m.  She went very peacefully, and it was not traumatic for her at all.  Her mom was with her the whole time, and my dad and I were there very quickly.  We want to thank you all for your support, but for now we need time to be with each other.  We will update this to let everyone know the arrangements that we make."

Douglas High School Principal Marty Swisher said counselors had been at the

school Thursday to talk with students, teachers and staff.

"Molly was an outstanding student, and just an incredible person," Swisher said. "The thing I remember about her is her smile and her laugh. And that's what I've heard the kids say today.

"She had an incredibly bubbly personality and was an uplifting person. Her family is the same way. They have always been so supportive of the school and the swim team. It's very somber here today.

"The school is mourning for them, and we want to provide all the support we can for Molly's family."

Douglas High postponed today's softball games against Manogue in honor of Lahlum.

"She was very close with a lot of the girls on the team," Douglas High athletic director Jeff Evans said. "This is a tough day all the way around."

Swisher said in addition to canceling Thursday's softball games, the school was looking at the swim meet schedule.

"We want to be sensitive to the needs of Molly¹s teammates," he said.

Lahlum was competing for the Douglas Tiger swim team at the Carson Aquatics Center on April 7 when, immediately after finishing a race, she did not exit the pool.

She was taken out of the water and administered CPR. From there she was taken to Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center and then brought to the pediatric intensive care unit at Renown.

The exact cause of the accident had not been determined at the time.

The Lahlum family has been maintaining a Web site for Molly at www.caringbridge.org/visit/mollylahlum.