CHARLOTTE, NC -- The Charlotte-Matthews community is coming together to remember Lee Broadway, a mother of 4 who died suddenly last week from a brain aneurysm, just days before her 42nd birthday.
Broadway was a friend to many, wife to middle school sweetheart Eric, and mother to 8-year-old Adrien, 10-year-old Alex, 16-year-old Averi, and 22-year-old Adair.
“Every memory I have growing up she's just always there and so present,” Adair said Monday. “I don't think she would've left if she didn't think we would be ok.”
On the first of April, Lee was overcome with a pounding headache.
“Lee suffered from migraines,” Eric said. “So a headache wasn't really something I was concerned about.”
But she said this migraine was different: a telltale sign of an aneurysm.
Of course, they didn’t know that until they got to the hospital.
“We never once thought we never see her again you know,” Eric said.
Lee died from complications in surgery.
“She was just so nice and kind to people and giving,” 10-year-old Alex said, smiling bravely. “She was just an amazing person.”
In the depths of their grief, the Broadway family discovered an abundance of love.
Friends, family, neighbors, even complete strangers have wrapped the Broadway family in support, raising $29,000 for them, and counting.
“She was sweet and kind and she always was there for me,” 8-year-old Adrien said, before excitedly launching into a story of his Lego-building adventures with mom.
If our stories are told by the lives we touch, Lee’s is certainly far from over.
You can visit the GoFundMe set up in the family’s name by clicking here.
Lean more about brain aneurysms, including the signs and symptoms, by clicking here and here.