Young City Mother's Family Shocked by Her Death

It was Friday and Brandie Jabre remembers that her sister, Corie Jabre, was not feeling well.

The 30-year-old mother of four had given birth to her twin boys 3-1/2 months ago and was feeling tired because she was breast feeding and not getting much sleep at night, Brandie Jabre said. She said Corie was also sick during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and started to present flu-like symptoms about a week and a half ago.

Brandie managed to persuade her sister to go to the doctor's office on Friday. She said Corie then went back to Portsmouth Regional Hospital on Saturday when her symptoms worsened.

"But we really weren't that worried at all," Brandie said.

On Sunday, Brandie said her family received a call from the hospital that no one ever expected.

"We were told to go there and say goodbye to my sister," she said.

Corie Jabre passed away shortly thereafter, leaving behind her twin sons, Liam and Brian, her 11-year-old son, Stephan, and her 16-year-old son, Chance, along with her boyfriend, John, the father of the twins.

Brandie Jabre works as an emergency medical technician for American Medical Response in Kittery, Maine and said she believed her sister was displaying flu-like symptoms. She said hospital officials told the family her sister died from a respiratory illness and complications from pneumonia.

Hours after the news spread about her sister's death, Brandie said Barbara Martinez, a family friend, launched a Give Forward website, the Corie Jabre Memorial Fund, to help raise money to pay for Corie's funeral and to solicit breast milk donations for her twin infants.

By Tuesday evening, more than $10,000 in donations had poured in, along with breast milk donations for the twins.

"It's very kind. We've had some cool things happen," Brandie Jabre said.

As difficult as the loss of Corie has been for her family, Brandie said she is glad so many people are showing them so much kindness.

"It's also great to be able to show my nephews all of the wonderful things that people are doing to remember their mom," she said.

When asked what she would like people to remember about her sister, Brandie said it would be "as a mother who loved her children more than anything in the world. She was an amazing person. She was really loved."