“Until we meet again, my sweet Estelle,” she wrote over the photo, adding an angel wings emoji.<\/p>\n
Williams confirmed to PEOPLE that her daughter Estelle \u2014 who was born with the congenital heart defect ventricular septal defect (VSD)<\/a> \u2014 died from multiple organ failure, having spent months hooked to hospital machines.<\/p>\n Estee Williams announced the death of her daughter Estelle on May 30 Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Williams and her husband, Conner, welcomed their daughter, Estelle, on Sept. 5, 2025. The infant was diagnosed with VSD two days after birth.<\/p>\n According to Mayo Clinic<\/a>, VSD is a common heart problem present at birth. Small defects can close naturally, causing the infant no problems. However, infants with larger VSD can require surgery to prevent complications.<\/p>\n Since November, Estelle has been hospitalized in pediatric intensive care.<\/p>\n Conner’s mother, Holly Nielsen, wrote on a defunct GoFundMe page that Estelle underwent an “extremely difficult and delicate open-heart surgery at just 11 weeks old,” due to her VSD diagnosis.<\/p>\n After going into cardiac arrest<\/a> in December 2025, Estelle was put on life support. Medics determined that she could not leave the hospital until she got a heart transplant.<\/p>\n On Dec. 13, Nielsen updated the GoFundMe to share that her granddaughter had undergone another open-heart surgery, which was deemed a success, and she had been discharged from the hospital.<\/p>\n On Dec. 31, Williams reported that Estelle was Status 1A for a heart transplant, meaning she was considered most critically in need and at the top of the waitlist.<\/p>\n Williams previously told PEOPLE<\/a> that Estelle’s heart was “well beyond what is considered large.”<\/p>\n Estee Williams and husband Conner Williams In April, Estelle was removed from the top of the transplant list due to complications. She returned to the top of the list<\/a> after her condition improved, before being taken off again.<\/p>\n “It was a bummer since we were at the top of the list in the Northeast. It’s okay though because we are trusting God’s timing,” Williams wrote on her Instagram Stories<\/a> on April 19. “Her team is clearing her other organs one by one for heart transplant eligibility after the hit they took a couple of weeks ago, we’ll get there!”<\/p>\n The mom then shared in a heartbreaking update on May 13<\/a> that Estelle had been removed from the heart transplant list for a second time.<\/p>\n “This week has been extremely tough,” she wrote on Instagram Stories. “Estelle is once again ineligible for a heart transplant.”<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Estee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d8442756c70c528995543ba2bf4b51af.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: esteecwilliams\/Instagram<\/p>\n![\"Estee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0a451fca1344cc84c05aab187bc10c44.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Estee Williams\/Instagram<\/p>\n