As told by her sister, Vanessa
Brenda passed away on January 10, 2025, at 36. After almost three months of waiting, our family finally learned the cause of her death: pulmonary embolism due to lower extremity deep vein thrombosis.
I’d heard of this condition before but never thought someone her age could be affected. The signs were there, but we had no idea the seriousness of this condition. We were only four years apart and never thought we’d be at risk for anything in our 30s and 40s.
Brenda had injured her knee right before Christmas 2024. She tried to wait it out as long as she could, thinking it would heal with heat and ice, but she finally went to an urgent care clinic on January 8, 2025. The provider ordered an X-ray and believed her injury to be a meniscus tear. They ordered an MRI, which she had scheduled for the following week.
We messaged each other daily since she lived in Massachusetts while the rest of our family was in Texas. Brenda had complained about feeling more fatigued and feeling like she couldn’t catch her breath. We thought it was probably from overcompensating as she walked on crutches.
On January 9, she said there might be something wrong with her lungs. My first thought was bronchitis, but she didn’t have a cough.
On January 10, we messaged one last time. She sent a funny meme in the morning. A few hours later, her boyfriend called me from her phone to tell me she was gone. He said she had gotten up from her desk, walked a few feet, and collapsed. Paramedics were able to start her heart again, but by the time they reached the emergency room that was a mile away, she was gone.
The loss of our sister has been devastating. I wish there was more information circulating about who can be affected by this. It possibly could’ve saved my sister’s life. I want to do what I can to spread awareness, knowing now that this could’ve been prevented if we had known more about PE and DVT.
Brenda had an infectious laugh. She fought for what was right and defended her loved ones with passion. One of her favorite movie quotes was, “Be excellent to each other.” She aimed to live her life by doing just that.
