The Bristol, Rhode Island, community is mourning the loss of a 22-year-old woman who died last month from viral meningitis.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is the most common form of meningitis and most people get better on their own without treatment, but that wasn't the case for Maddie Pacheco, NBC10 Boston affiliate WJAR reports.
Maddie Pacheco's mom tells WJAR it started as a minor fever that they attributed to the common cold or the flu, but she needed to go to the hospital within days and then things took a turn for the worse.
"I was so scared," Erica Pacheco told WJAR. "It really took a toll on her spine, her brain. That's when we had to make the worst decision of our lives."
Maddie Pacheco died on Nov. 18, less than a month before her 23rd birthday. She is survived by her parents, Louis and Erica Pacheco, and her two brothers LJ and Maddox Pacheco, as well as countless other loved ones and friends.
"She left such a mark on this world," her mom told WJAR. "Maddie was amazing. Everywhere she went, people loved her. She walked into a room. She was like, a bright star, it was like focused on her. She was outgoing. She was she's just she was amazing. And she never friended certain people. It was everybody was her friend. She was just the life of the party."
The 2019 Mount Hope High School graduate was working at her family's East Bay Fish Market.
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"She made friends wherever she went. No matter where she went. It was like everybody just gravitated towards her. She was just a great time," her mom said.
There's been an outpouring of community support for the Pacheco family following Maddie's unexpected death, including when the high school football team wore the No. 25 on their helmets to honor her.
"I could never repay them, the cards, the flowers, the meals delivered to my house," Erica Pacheco said.
Hundreds attended a wake for Maddie Pacheco on Nov. 26, WJAR reports.
"I think there was over 500 people that went to awake. It was from one to five and we didn't close the doors until 7:30," Erica Pacheco said. "So this just shows how amazing my daughter really was. And I'm so proud that I've raised such an amazing human."
A fundraiser is also being organized for the family at the Bristol VFW Hall on Jan. 6, according to WJAR.
