Emma Mertens, 8-year-old Hartland girl with rare brain tumor, passes away

By: CBS 58 Newsroom

Posted: Nov 17, 2019 6:12 PM CST

See Also UPDATE: Facebook page created for 7-year-old girl battling brain tumor

HARTLAND, Wis. (CBS 58) -- An 8-year-old girl from Hartland girl battling a rare brain tumor has passed away. Emma Merterns captured many hearts and received thousands of letters of support from dogs around the world.

According to a Facebook post, Emma passed away on Sunday, Nov. 17.

During her fight, Emma got messages from dogs as far away as Australia and Germany.

Team Emma on Facebook shared this message:

"Emma Claere Mertens passed away in her mom and my arms at 3:52pm today.

She fought so hard but it was time to go home and leave the pain behind. In her final hours, we told her how many people love her and that it was ok to go. We will miss her dearly.

In lieu of gifts and flowers, We are asking that you keep Emma’s memory alive by supporting her foundation at www.emmalovesdogs.org. Through all of this battle, all Emma wanted to do was spread kindness and help animals.

Funeral arrangements will be announced soon. We plan to live stream Emma’s service on her Facebook page so all who have shown her love over the last 10 months can participate regardless of where they live in the world.

We love you all!"