The Indiana mother who suddenly collapsed and died on a flight home from the Dominican Republic last week had no pre-existing health conditions and was in good physical condition, even training while on vacation in the Caribbean country, family and friends told ABC News. told the news.
According to police, Stephanie Smith, 41, was on American Airlines Flight 2790 from Punta Cana to Charlotte, North Carolina on February 28 when her condition suddenly deteriorated.
After receiving CPR on the plane, she was diverted to the Turks and Caicos Islands and taken to a local hospital, but her life could not be saved.
Stephanie Smith, 41, was on American Airlines Flight 2790 from Punta Cana to Charlotte, North Carolina, when she suffered a seizure and died. (Facebook/Stefanie Smith/Eric MD Bell Funeral Home and Cremation Services)
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Her cause of death has not yet been determined, and those close to her say they are shocked by her unexplained death.
Smith’s boyfriend, who was sitting next to her on the plane, said she rolled her eyes and started convulsing, her friend Maria Yannotti told ABC. Yannotti was also on the trip, traveling separately.
Yannotti said Smith’s boyfriend initially thought she was joking, but soon realized she was in distress.
Doctors and nurses on board the plane then assisted with CPR, and the plane made an emergency landing in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British overseas territory located in the southeastern Bahamas.
Yannotti said Smith had been on a five-day vacation with her boyfriend and appeared to be in good health until shortly before her departure.
After receiving CPR on the plane, Smith was diverted to the Turks and Caicos Islands and taken to a local hospital, but his life could not be saved. (St. Petersburg)
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“While we were in the Dominican, she loved going to the gym every day. She would wake up every morning and go to the gym and run on the beach.”
Her brother, Chris Volz, told ABC he didn’t know his sister had a medical condition.
Ms. Smith was the mother of two children, an 18-year-old son, Cohen, and a 16-year-old daughter, Macy.
“She was a special person… Her children really… loved her very much, and I know she loved them,” Ms. Volz said. That’s why it’s so difficult.
A GoFundMe created for Smith’s children expressed his dedication to them.
“The love she shared with Cohen and Macy cannot be measured or explained in words.”
“Also, her boundless love for her family, friends and community will leave a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.”
A map that pinpoints the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British overseas territory located southeast of the Bahamas. (Google Maps)
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A woman who said she was Smith’s sister-in-law also remembered him fondly.
“We are in disbelief and our hearts are broken,” Stephanie Quinn wrote last week in response to the police statement about the incident.
Quinn described her sister-in-law as the only girl among five children and the mother of two “big-hearted, honest, beautiful children.”
Unexpected or “excess” deaths reported 158,000 more americans The first nine months of 2023 saw an increase compared to the same period in 2019, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report said.
