Have you seen an expecting mother who is just a month from welcoming her first baby?
Can you imagine the level of her excitement of waiting for the arrival of her first child?
A 29-year-old teacher from upstate New York was feeling the same excitement however, she met a tragedy which no one expected.
Courtney Fannon was overjoyed being pregnant with her first baby but she collapsed in her classroom just a month before her due date.
Last Friday, as Courtney was wrapping up her day as a special education teacher at Kendal Central School, she sent a text to her husband, Kurtis Fannon. Shortly after, she was found unconscious in the school building, according to Kurtis' close friend, Matt Smith.
Doctors tried to save both Courtney and her unborn baby girl, Hadley Jaye but they could not do so. Both mother and child were pronounced dead later that evening at the hospital.
The cause of Courtney's sudden collapse remains unknown, leaving family and friends shocked and devastated.
In a message to students and faculty of the Kendal Central School, where Courtney had taught since 2018, Superintendent Nicholas Picardo confirmed her death. "Courtney was a special education teacher who served her students with passion and joy each day," his message reads.
Matt Smith paid a touching tribute to Courtney and highlighted her loving and selfless nature. He said that she always put her students first and was prepared for any challenge. "Courtney was always prepared for any and all possibilities, and just when you had something you never thought would happen occurred, she was there with all the things you could imagine to fix the problem," he said on GofundMe website where he set up a page on the grieving family's behalf.
"She was selfless and my heart breaks for those that knew her best, as I only had the chance to know her for the last 10 years through Kurtis."
Courtney and Kurtis had been partners for over a decade, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their daughter. The community raised over $60,000 to assist the family with final expenses and additional medical costs.