The 17-year-old daughter of U.S. Rep. Sean Casten died earlier this year after experiencing a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, the Casten family said Friday.
Gwen Casten died on the morning of June 13, the congressman's office said in a previous tweet announcing her passing. Details about her cause of death weren't released at the time.
In a detailed statement released Friday, the Casten family described Gwen as a healthy teenager who, just prior to her death, had come home from an evening with friends and didn't wake up.
“We are heartbroken, but we are not unique," the family's statement read, in part. "Sudden, unexplained heart-failure among young, healthy people is rare but real. We are left grasping at the wrong end of random chance."
To this day, it remains unclear what caused the sudden arrhythmia, and relatives say they will likely never know.
“None of us know when our last heartbeat will come," the family stated. "The best we can hope for is that when our loved ones do pass, we will have no regrets about the time we were lucky enough to share."
Prior to her death, Gwen appeared in a campaign video supporting her father's bid for a third term in Congress.
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In the video, released weeks before her passing, she spoke of how turning 18 would be a “big year” filled with “lots of milestones,” including “voting for the first time. But not just for anyone.”
"Sean Casten. My congressman. But I just call him dad," she said in the video, in which she championed her father's efforts on new gun laws and and protecting abortion access.
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Sean Casten, who represents Illinois 6th Congressional District, which covers parts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties, was first elected in 2018.
The full statement from the Casten family is below:
“This past June, our daughter, Gwen Casten, died of a sudden cardiac arrythmia. In layman’s terms, she was fine, and then her heart stopped.
We don’t know what caused the arrythmia, and likely never will.
Gwen was a healthy 2022 teenager. She ate well, exercised, got regular check-ups, didn’t suffer from any behavioral health issues, and had close relationships with family and friends. She was fully vaccinated, and quarantined after occasional positive, asymptomatic COVID tests during the omicron wave. She had just come home from an evening with friends, went to bed and didn’t wake up.
We are heartbroken, but we are not unique. Sudden, unexplained heart-failure among young, healthy people is rare but real. We are left grasping at the wrong end of random chance.
We are grateful for the outpouring of love we’ve received over these past months. We’ve cried again over each of your letters, messages, meals, and flowers, but they are appreciated. We are also grateful for the donations to the Downers Grove North Friends of Fine Arts and March for Our Lives, causes that Gwen was actively engaged in during high school. It is a comfort to know how many lives Gwen touched over her 17 years.
“She had a big, beautiful, kind, loving heart. And it stopped, as all must.
None of us know when our last heartbeat will come. The best we can hope for is that when our loved ones do pass, we will have no regrets about the time we were lucky enough to share.
So hug the folks you love a little harder today. Be present in their lives. And spread your love a little farther. Because in the end, it’s all that remains.”
