RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. -- A 9-year-old Randolph County girl died from flu complications, according to her family.

Madeline "Maddie" Grace Vernon was diagnosed with the flu on Jan. 25. Her mother, Mary Edging, took her to Randolph Hospital, and Maddie was sent home that day.

As Maddie's symptoms worsened, she struggled to breathe.

Edging said on Tuesday, Jan. 28, Maddie woke up with a 104.9 temperature. Her parents took her back to Urgent Care, and then her daughter was rushed to Moses Cone Hospital. Doctors placed her on a ventilator to help her breathe, but her condition continued to decline. Maddie was then transferred to Brenner's Children's Hospital, where she died early Wednesday morning, Jan. 29.

"I lost my best friend," Edging said. "She was an energetic, fun-loving kid. She loved school. She had straight A's pretty much all year ... yeah, she was so smart, so beautiful."

Her father, Jimmy Vernon, said Maddie left a lasting impact on everyone she met.

"It's hard to put into words ... I mean, she was so amazing. Everyone that she came into contact with -- for nine years or 30 seconds -- you'd automatically fall in love with her. She was just that kind of person."

Edging said Maddie had a caring heart and always looked out for others.

"She wanted to help any and everybody. If you fell and got hurt outside, she was immediately running to get you a Band-Aid, an ice pack -- anything you wanted or needed."

Her family says they did everything they could to save her.

"We did everything that we could and ... it wasn't enough. But God wanted his angel back, so ... can't be mad about that," Vernon said.

The community has shown an outpouring of love and support for the Vernon family. Maddie's 5-year-old sister is still trying to understand what happened.

"She understands pretty well ... but she's still asking a lot of questions. So we just explain it to her the best that we can. That's all we can do," Vernon said.

Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.