BATON ROUGE - A girl whose bond with LSU Gymnastics turned her into a mascot for the squad has passed away.

On Monday, gymnast Lexie Priessman, a close friend of 8-year-old Gracie Zaunbrecher, shared news of Gracie's passing.

I know this is Gods plan because He reached down and grabbed your hand. Gracie Zaunbrecher I love you and will miss you everyday. ?? pic.twitter.com/R8diZpkILE

— Lexie Priessman (@lpriessman2016) September 24, 2018

Gracie was a young, aspiring gymnast herself before she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor at age 7. Her parents discovered the illness when Gracie was having trouble keeping her balance on a gymnastics beam.

"Just having to see her go through the things she should never have to do," said Maile Zaunbrecher, Gracie's mother, in March. "It's always tough for a mother to see that."

Priessman and the rest of the gymnastics team at LSU had grown close with Gracie around the time of her diagnosis, arranging prayer chains and other gatherings to show their support for her.

"She means so much to this team," Priessman said. "She came into our life one day and since that day our lives have changed completely."

You can see that story on Gracie's bond with the team here.