COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Brandon Mebane said that his 7-week-old daughter, Makenna, died Thursday.
"I'm still thankful, and I thank God every day," Mebane said. "I still pray. We're taking it one day at a time."
Makenna was born Nov. 12 with trisomy 13. Because of her defective heart condition, she did not have a heart valve, which required surgery to fix.
"She just kept having bleeding from her stomach, and then they tried to feed her, it wasn't good for her liver," Mebane said while holding back tears.
Words are hard to come by with the passing of Brandon Mebane's infant daughter, Makenna.
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) January 9, 2019
We are heartbroken.
Please join us in keeping Brandon, and his family, in your thoughts and prayers.
Mebane, his wife, Amena, and their two children, Mahailey and Makai, stayed in Omaha, Nebraska, to receive medical assistance after the birth of Makenna.
The defensive tackle missed four games this season to be with his family while Makenna was treated for the heart defect. Mebane said his wife and kids are back in Los Angeles, and he intends to play against the New England Patriots on Sunday. He missed Sunday's wild-card victory over the Baltimore Ravens after his daughter's death.
Mebane, 33, is in his third season with the Chargers. A defensive co-captain, he has 40 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in 12 games.