A fifth grade student at Wayne Elementary School died Monday from a viral infection, her father said.

Halainah Grace Napolitano, the eldest of Anthony and Deanna Napolitano's three children, died at Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains after developing sepsis, an infection of the blood that affected her heart, said Anthony Napolitano.

His sudden and unexpected death shocked the community, which donated more than $ 20,000 in less than 24 hours to a fundraiser for funeral expenses.

"She saw the good in everyone, she was friends with those who needed a friend and who was so very loving," her father said. Born in Shangrao, China, Halainah was adopted on January 4, 2009, her "Gotcha Day", according to her family.

Halainah Grace Napolitano, a grade five student from Wayne, died of a viral illness on Monday, February 18, 2019. (Photo11: Napolitano family)

Last Friday, according to Anthony Napolitano, Halainah developed a fever and pain and became very lethargic. She complained of pain in the left shoulder and chest. So when the family took her to an emergency care center, her shoulder was x-rayed, which revealed no problem. A quick test with a cotton bra revealed that she did not have the flu, her father explained, but the doctors told the family that they would treat her like a flu and prescribed Tamiflu.

Halainah has shown no improvement this weekend, Napolitano said. The pain in her shoulder also worsened and Napolitano took her to the emergency room on Monday morning. She had developed pneumonia and sepsis, he said. The doctors were unable to stabilize it. "She was too small to resist," he said.

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A heterosexual student at Ryerson Elementary School, "she touched so many souls," Napolitano said. "It was his little present."

Halainah is survived by her younger sister Ava and her brother Colton, as well as grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.

According to her obituary, when she was handed over to her parents in 2009, not only did she not cry, but she smiled, knowing that she would love him for the rest of his days.

Friends can visit the family at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church at 155 West Parkway in Pompton Plains on Thursday from 3pm. at 7 pm The funeral will be held in the church on Friday at 10 am

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