Lee Harbin Broadway died suddenly after complaining of a severe migraine. (GoFundMe )
Donations are pouring in after the sudden death of a North Carolina mother of four who had complained of a severe migraine but was actually suffering from a brain aneurysm. Lee Broadway, who died April 3, had a history of migraines so the family wasn’t alarmed by the sudden onset of her last one.
“We never once thought we’d never see her again, you know?” Eric Broadway, the 41-year-old’s widow, told WCNC.com.
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In addition to her husband, who was her high school sweetheart, Broadway leaves behind her four children ages 8, 10, 10 and 22.
“Every memory I have growing up she’s just always there and so present,” Adair, her oldest child, told WCNC.com. “I don’t think she would’ve left if she didn’t think we would be OK.”
Broadway complained of a headache on April 1, but they did not discover that it was actually an aneurysm until they arrived at the hospital, WCNC.com reported.
“Lee suffered from migraines, so a headache wasn’t really something I was concerned about,” Eric Broadway told WCNC.com.
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According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, while unruptured brain aneurysms are typically asymptomatic, large, unruptured aneurysms can occasionally press on the brain or the nerves stemming out of the brain and cause various symptoms. Patients experiencing localized headache, dilated pupils, blurred or double vision, pain above and behind the eye, weakness and numbness or difficulty speaking should seek immediate care.
Patients who experience a sudden, severe headache, loss of consciousness, nausea/vomiting, sudden blurred or double vision, stiff neck, sudden pain above/behind the eye or difficulty seeing, sudden change in mental status, trouble walking or dizziness, weakness and numbness, sensitivity to light, seizure or drooping eyelid may be suffering from symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm and should seek immediate medical attention.
According to the foundation, there are various risk factors associated with brain aneurysms, including smoking, high blood pressure, family history, age, gender, drug use, infection, traumatic head injury, tumors and other disorders.
Friends and family have raised more than $34,000 for Broadway’s grieving relatives to help cover medical costs and manage future expenses.
“She was sweet and kind and she always was there for me,” Adrien, her youngest, told WCNC.com.
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