When Maureen Branigan texted her mother, asking “Did u make it home alive lol?” after spending the day together, she had no idea her mom was still outside her home dead behind the wheel of her parked car.
“I didn’t think twice when she didn’t reply,” said the Pennsylvania woman, speaking to People Magazine about her mom, Debbie, who was 52. “It wasn’t uncommon for her to just go home, go to bed, and then FaceTime me in the morning to make our plans for the day. We spent every day together.”
Branigan, 30, recently shared her heartbreaking story on TikTok, revealing her mother had died on Jan. 31, 2021, from cardiac arrest after years of dealing with serious medical issues, including kidney disease.
Branigan’s fiancé found Debbie, still in her parked car when he took their dog for a walk.
An ambulance was right beside her vehicle.
“Immediately, I called my dad, who was at home,” she explained. “I told him he had to get here, and fast. At this point, we still had no idea what was going on. The medics couldn’t tell us anything, and we were stuck in limbo.
“Once my dad ran over, I think reality started to set in. Since the car was still parked out front, we hopped in it and followed the ambulance to the hospital, which was just a three-minute drive. We didn’t speak much during that car ride. Looking back, I think we both knew what truth we were about to walk into.”
Branigan has no siblings, and said her mom was her best friend.
“When I sent that text, never in my wildest imagination would I have thought it would result in her dying,” she said.
It wasn’t the first time Branigan said the two had shared text exchanges like that.
“We morbidly joked pretty often,” she said.
“Anyone who knows us could tell you we were together every single day,” Branigan added. “My mom embodied everything soft and strong simultaneously. Without fail, she was always in my corner. The best way I can describe her is that she wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone. Nothing scared her. I could hand her anything, and it was never too heavy. Maybe she couldn’t fix it, but she was there.”
“She was the softest place to land,” she said.
Branigan’s TikTok generated 670,000 views and nearly 900 comments — many from people who’d also lost a parent.
“Some days, I cry, and other days, I gossip to her as if she can still hear me and answer back,” Branigan said. “I miss her in every moment of every day — the big and the small. I find myself doing that often — wanting to run to her with any and all news.”
The Post called several numbers associated with Branigan, but was unable to reach her for comment.