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Last updated on Tuesday, August 25, 2015
(BLOOMINGTON) - The mother of an Indiana University Freshman that died two years ago is using the death of her daughter to try and prevent the same tragedy from happening again.
Fiege died in August 2013 after she fell down the steps to the basement of an off-campus party. She had suffered a catastrophic brain injury, but showed no outward physical signs of that injury.
Her friends did not think she was hurt, and had her lie down on a couch. As the party winded down, some students went back to their respective dorms, others slept at the house.
Later that morning, someone noticed Rachael was not breathing. An ambulance and police were called. Rescue crews worked fervently to revive her, and were able to get a pulse, and transported her to the local hospital.
Rachael's mom received the phone call every parent dreads - her daughter was seriously injured and she was on a ventilator. Rachael had went into cardiac arrest four times that morning.
A few hours later, Rachael died.
Her parents gave her one last kiss as she was wheeled into the operating room where he organs were harvested to donate to others.
To prevent another tragedy, Rachael's mother, Angi Fiege, has created a program called "Rachael's First Week" to educate students on making smart choices during their transition to college.
On Friday night, she brought her message to IU as students.
Fiege say this is a vulnerable group of students who are in position in their life where they will have to encounter some tough decisions on their own.
Angi encouraged the freshmen to take advantage of the resources that IU provides, and to always look out for fellow students.
There is a law which gives immunity from certain criminal charges to anyone under 21 who reports an alcohol-related health emergency.
Fiege wants more young people to learn about the law and call for help during an emergency.
For more information visit rachaelsfirstweek.com.
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