Jayci Yaeger Dies After She Sees Her Dad

This is one of those stories that just rips you apart.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- A 10-year-old girl has died, just a day after her wish to see her father was granted.Jayci Yaeger's imprisoned father, Jason, went to her bedside Wednesday -- a visit federal authorities allowed only after being deluged with letters and phone calls from across the nation.

Jayci had terminal brain cancer. Her family had been pleading with federal prison officials in Yankton, S.D., to allow her father to see his daughter before she died.On Wednesday afternoon, prison guards drove Jason Yaeger to a Lincoln hospice, where he spent time at her bedside. No one else was allowed in the room except Jason Yaeger, Jayci and the escorts.

Sources said Yaeger did leave the girl's side to consult with hospice counselors and get some direction on how to speak with the girl about what she was going through.Prior to Wednesday, the prison warden had allowed Jason Yaeger three visits to his daughter, but had denied requests for a longer furlough or an early transfer to a halfway house in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The warden told Yaeger it was not viewed as an extraordinary circumstance.Letters and e-mails from across the nation have reached the Yaeger family and appealed to the prison to allow the man to see his daughter.

The family asked the media to share their story with the hope of encouraging prison officials to allow the visit.He's scheduled to be released to a halfway house in August.

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