Friends and family release balloons to remember Maddison Pappas

July 11, 2016 at 9:46p.m.

AUSTINTOWN

A purple sky above Fitch High School was filled with messages on balloons loved ones wrote to Maddison Pappas as they celebrated her 16th birthday without her.

Maddison died March 30 of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a blood disorder causing blood clots to form in blood vessels, cutting off oxygen flow to various organs.

Her unexpected death left Maddison’s family and friends leaning on their community to help them celebrate her life, rather than mourn her death.

Sheila Green cried for the Pappas family, sharing a grim bond after losing her son just one week after Maddison’s death. Green’s son Christopher, 15, died of a breathing-related condition.

“I know what [they’re] going through and it’s not something you want to imagine. I know just every day as a mother – they just need this support,” Green said.

Brandon Rucker, 16, and a friend of Maddison’s, said his favorite thing to do was to tell stories about her – recalling their adventures and keeping her memory alive.

“The support from everyone is wonderful,” said Shannon Pappas, Maddison’s mother. “It’s the only thing saving this day for me. We were dreading her birthday so badly, but knowing how much she would have loved this gives us reason to look forward to it again.”