Mom Dies Unexpectedly Outside of Daughter's High School Graduation: 'I Watched Her Take Her Last Breath'

A mother unexpectedly collapsed and died successful a parking batch moments earlier her daughter's precocious schoolhouse graduation successful North Carolina.

On May 23, Jean Byrd was astatine nan Joel Coliseum successful Winston-Salem, N.C., up of her girl Meilean’s graduation erstwhile she died "just 200 feet" from nan ceremony, her family wrote successful a GoFundMe run explanation and told section NBC connection WXII.

Marquan Matthews — Byrd's son, who was wrong nan venue astatine nan clip — recalled getting a telephone telephone from his aunt astir nan incident, earlier a information defender drove him successful a play cart to nan parking lot, WXII reported. He past performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

Byrd died of cardiac arrest, according to nan GoFundMe description, which was written by her son.

"This was a curse," Matthews told WXII. "This was a curse because I sat location and watched my mom's psyche assistance retired of her. I watched her return her past breath."

"So it was very difficult for me, and it's still difficult for maine to this time because I hardly get immoderate sleep," he added. "I conscionable spot them past fewer moments of my mom, conscionable being gone."

Meilean, who walked crossed nan shape and earned her certificate from Parkland High School soon after, had nary thought what was happening astatine nan time, per WXII.

A guidance counsellor was waiting for her and told her that her mother "had an accident," earlier Meilean was escorted retired and to nan hospital, nan postgraduate told nan outlet.

"I thought it was for illustration a car accident, truthful I wasn't really scared," Meilean said done tears arsenic family consoled her.

Three days earlier Meilean's precocious schoolhouse graduation, and Byrd's death, her youngest son, Marsuan, attended his eighth-grade graduation ceremony.

Matthews wrote connected nan GoFundMe page that his mother "had nan grant of seeing him" locomotion crossed nan shape astatine nan event.

He launched nan family's fundraising run successful an effort to "make judge she gets her past wishes" of being buried by her begetter and different family successful Pennsylvania.

As nan boy wrote, his mother — who was known arsenic "Ma Dukes" — "shared a batch of infectious emotion done galore years, rubbing nan souls of nan mislaid and being a saint to galore who needed it."

"We ne'er thought that connected this day, a time filled of joy, would beryllium nan worst time of our lives," Matthews continued. "As my sister was graduating precocious school, our mother is lying connected nan crushed fighting for her life. As my sister is stepping crossed nan stage, I’m doing CPR connected my mother. She died an hr later connected my sister's graduation."

Byrd, who was a "fighter," according to her son, had "a changeless conflict pinch bosom issues" and antecedently suffered "two bosom attacks."

"She was truthful resilient and specified a warrior, fighting for each her kids nary matter really overmuch symptom and suffering she was in," Matthews wrote. "No matter what our mother went through, she ever stayed affirmative and figured retired a way. No matter really bad my mom was hurting, she still made group grin and consciousness astatine location successful their hearts pinch each personification who crossed paths pinch her."

"Many lives were positively impacted by nan emotion and resilience of our mother, and we’re extending an invitation to you to thief springiness my mom nan ceremony she ever wanted and deserves. Mommy we emotion you, I’m mislaid without you, and I believe you springiness maine nan guidance you did erstwhile connected this world to make you proud. Rest In Paradise my beautiful lady," he concluded nan statement that was signed by family.

Funeral services for Byrd will beryllium held connected June 14, per nan GoFundMe.