When Maureen Branigan texted her mom, asking “Did u make it home alive lol?” after spending the day collectively, she had no concept her mother was nonetheless exterior her residence lifeless behind the wheel of her parked automotive.
“I didn’t think twice when she didn’t reply,” stated the Pennsylvania girl, talking to Folks Journal about her mother, Debbie, who was 52. “It wasn’t uncommon for her to just go home, go to bed, and then FaceTime me in the morning to make our plans for the day. We spent every day together.”
Branigan, 30, lately shared her heartbreaking story on TikTok, revealing her mom had died on Jan. 31, 2021, from cardiac arrest after years of coping with critical medical points, together with kidney illness.
Branigan’s fiancé discovered Debbie, nonetheless in her parked automotive when he took their canine for a stroll.
An ambulance was proper beside her car.
“Immediately, I called my dad, who was at home,” she defined. “I advised him he needed to get right here, and quick. At this level, we nonetheless had no concept what was happening. The medics couldn’t inform us something, and we had been caught in limbo.
“Once my dad ran over, I think reality started to set in. Since the car was still parked out front, we hopped in it and followed the ambulance to the hospital, which was just a three-minute drive. We didn’t speak much during that car ride. Looking back, I think we both knew what truth we were about to walk into.”
Branigan has no siblings, and stated her mother was her finest good friend.
“When I sent that text, never in my wildest imagination would I have thought it would result in her dying,” she stated.
It wasn’t the primary time Branigan stated the 2 had shared textual content exchanges like that.
“We morbidly joked pretty often,” she stated.
“Anyone who knows us could tell you we were together every single day,” Branigan added. “My mom embodied everything soft and strong simultaneously. Without fail, she was always in my corner. The best way I can describe her is that she wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone. Nothing scared her. I could hand her anything, and it was never too heavy. Maybe she couldn’t fix it, but she was there.”
“She was the softest place to land,” she stated.
Branigan’s TikTok generated 670,000 views and practically 900 feedback — many from individuals who’d additionally misplaced a mum or dad.
“Some days, I cry, and other days, I gossip to her as if she can still hear me and answer back,” Branigan stated. “I miss her in every moment of every day — the big and the small. I find myself doing that often — wanting to run to her with any and all news.”
The Put up referred to as a number of numbers related to Branigan, however was unable to succeed in her for remark.
