Statement from cheerleader's family

Here is the statement released today by Lauren Chang's family:

Lauren was an energetic, spirited, tenacious, intelligent and beautiful young woman with an infectious smile. She brought these same qualities into all aspects of her life; her family and friends, her work, and her education. She approached all aspects of her life with enthusiasm and energy that spread to those who surrounded her. We were the fortunate recipients of her love and friendship.

We are heartbroken that her life was tragically cut short; she will be in our hearts forever.

Lauren died doing what she loved, cheerleading and being with her friends. We hope her death will shed light on the inherent risks of cheerleading, and we hope that additional safeguards are taken to insulate against those risks. We do not want to discourage people from participating in the sport but rather to encourage awareness of those risks.

We have discussed our concerns with State Representative Peter Koutoujian, who is here today to discuss what he plans to do to address our concerns.

My family wishes to celebrate Lauren’s life with our friends and relatives in private, however, we wanted to express how we wanted Lauren to be remembered particularly for those who did not have the pleasure of knowing her.

We would like to thank everyone for their support and condolences.

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