A healthy teacher from New York has died after collapsing in her classroom just four weeks before her baby was due.
On March 8, Courtney Fannon, 29, tragically passed away after being found unresponsive in her classroom at Kendall Central School just shortly after sending a text to her husband, Kurtis.
There were no children present at the time due to it being a professional development training day for all the teachers, as per a statement from spokesperson Steve Dawe who confirmed the news to USA TODAY on Thursday.
The 29-year-old was heavily pregnant at the time, expecting her first child, Hadley Jaye, who also tragically passed away after medical professionals tried their best to save her.
A cause of death has not yet been determined.
Taking to a GoFundMe page, a friend of the couple, Matthew Smith, expressed his sadness at the loss of a close friend, a wife, and a soon-to-be mother.
"Kurtis and Courtney were wed in August 20, 2022, after 10 years of being together, and were expecting their daughter in just 4 short weeks," Smith wrote in a lengthy and emotional statement on the page.
"In the wake of this devastating news, Kurtis was left to not only manage final arrangements for Courtney and Hadley, but he is living mine, and many others, worst nightmare of having to return to a home, filled with baby toys, bottles, furniture, and a finished nursery, that will no longer be filled with the cooing sounds and shuffling of a newborn."
He also spoke very highly of his late friend, who was a special needs teacher at the education facility.
"For those who did not have the wonderful opportunity to meet or get to know Courtney, there is an endless amount of positive and good things that can only be said about her," he said.
"She was a special education teacher in the Kendall School District and was the perfect person to fill the role. She was loving, genuine and organized in a way that always placed her students ahead of herself, ultimately changing the lives of her students and caregivers, always for the positive."
And as for the loss of the little baby girl, Smith expressed that despite not being able to meet her, he "[knows] that you will live on in all that your family does to ensure that the few breaths that you were able to take were not in vain and will not be forgotten."
So far, the fundraiser has managed to rack up over $85,600 in the hopes that it can help Kurtis lay his late wife and their child to rest after what was described as an "unexpected turn of events."
Speaking of Courtney, Superintendent Nicholas Picardo told USA TODAY that the teacher had been at the school since 2018 and she was well-loved.
"Courtney was a special education teacher who served her students with passion and joy each day," Picardo said in a message.
"When she wasn’t in her classroom sharing her love and gift for teaching with her students, she could be found walking our halls with a smile and a friendly hello," he added.
Courtney and Hadley will both be laid to rest in a service that is set to take place later today, as per a notice on the GoFundMe page.
Our thoughts are with their loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.