Lee Broadway lived in North Carolina with her husband Eric and four beautiful children. About to turn 42, Lee was excitedly talking to her husband over their morning coffee on how they should celebrate the occasion.
Watch this storyIt was a traditional start to their workday morning, but little did Eric know that by the time he returned from work later that day his family would never be the same again.
It all started with a migraine headache for Lee; something she had suffered since the age of eight due to hereditary reasons. However, after a while it became clear that something was not right.
Lee and Eric were high school sweethearts who had their first child at 18. Eric described Lee as someone who succeeded at everything she attempted, yet she always considered being a mother her first priority.
Lee was the mother of four children: Charlotte (22), Averi (16), Alex (10) and Adrian (8). Lee was devoted to her children and made them her top priority in life. This situation cannot be easy for any of them, especially for the youngest ones who might have trouble understanding what happened to mommy.
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After telling Eric that this pain was like no other, Eric rushed to get her to the hospital. The couple probably expected to hear that this was just another migraine, however, nothing could have prepared them for the truth: Lee had a brain aneurysm. While Lee was in serious pain, there was a small glimmer of hope.
Lee was told that her aneurysm was ranked as a level 2. This indicated that Lee had a good chance to make it through her ordeal, which probably gave some relief to Eric. However, that was not the case, as heartbreak came later on when doctors delivered some terrifying news to the worried husband.
The next day, doctors tried to fix Lee’s aneurysm. Everything seemed okay at first, however, things suddenly took a turn for the worse much later. The doctors informed Eric that they were unable to repair the effects of Lee’s aneurysm. Ten hours later, Lee passed away.
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Eric didn’t want to tell his oldest daughter right away, especially since she was traveling from Florida. Driving is hard enough without having to hear that kind of news. But once he did, she broke down in tears. His mother-in-law even traveled to stay with the family so that she could be there for her precious grandchildren.
Aneurysms usually occur in people who are ages 35 to 60, and they most commonly affect women. Most people feel fine at first and often do not show signs of a rupture. Aneurysms may be scary, yet ruptures are actually quite rare. Ruptures happen to about 30,000 people in the U.S. each year, and 40 percent of those cases result in death within 24 hours.
Easter was Lee’s favorite holiday, and it hurt the family to have her gone during this time. But because Lee loved Easter so much, the family decided to still hold an Easter egg hunt in her honor. They also let 42 balloons go and talked about their favorite memories with Lee.
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Medical expenses can be daunting, especially with such tragic events. With such skyrocketing bills, a GoFundMe account has been set up to help Eric and his family to help with the money problems. It may not bring Lee back, but at least it will help ease some of the financial burden.
The story of Lee Broadway is truly heartbreaking. It just goes to show you that you need to cherish the ones you love because you never know what might happen. In the case of Lee, what seemed like a common ailment ended in tragedy. Now her family has to deal with the tragic loss of a devoted mother who lived for her children. Though they try, it will be hard to move on.
This story should move people to hug those closest to them, and most importantly, to tell them how much they love them.
