Vacation Turned Nightmare: Shocking Reason Behind Mom's Mid-Flight Death

Stefanie Smith, a 41-year-old X-ray technician from Indiana, was returning from the Dominican Republic when she fell fatally ill just minutes into American Airlines flight 2790 from Punta Cana to Charlotte, North Carolina. The plane was diverted to the Turks and Caicos islands, where Smith was declared dead after being taken to the hospital.

"Everyone's in shock, just waiting for news. There are still a lot of unknowns," her brother Chris Volz told the New York Post. Smith, a graduate of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, worked at Memorial Hospital in South Bend. Her sudden demise has left her friends and colleagues devastated.

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"I can't remember the last time I've felt heartache like this," wrote her friend Kristina Swinney on Facebook. "Looking to my left today, seeing you gone, knowing you aren't coming back has left me a mess, Stef. The news today has shattered us."

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A Gofundme appeal to raise money for her two teenage children, Coen and Macee, had raised $78,000 as of Wednesday morning, with contributions from passengers who were on her last fatal flight. "I didn't know Stefanie but I was in the row in front of her," wrote Erika Remillard-Hagen. "When I was 41 my own two children were the same age hers are. My heart breaks for her family."

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Swinney, a fellow medic at the Memorial Hospital, wrote of the impact her friend made on the lives of those she knew. "Today we talked about how you wouldn't let anyone have a bad day," she said on Facebook, "you weren't having any part of it. I will miss the 'Hi honey!' morning greeting, you playing with my hair, hearing about the latest dateline story, our country karaoke, shots of Diet Coke and sticking my cold hands down your hot back," she added. "You were the energy of work."

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"The docs that work in that room will be suffering big time," added colleague Linda Kulikowski. "She, single-handedly, made them at ease enough to show their true personalities. I know they didn't just look forward to working with her, but so loved the relationships she developed with each of them. I truly hope she realized her impact."

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First responders met the aircraft on the tarmac when it arrived at Providenciales International Airport. The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands released more details in a statement on their Facebook page. "At 6.12 pm, the Police Control Room received a call from the Air Traffic Control Tower requesting medical assistance for a 41-year-old female, who at the time was receiving Cardiopulmonary resuscitation," they wrote. "A medical team, along with police units, were dispatched, and the patient was transported to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where she died."

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Sister-in-law Stephanie Quinn described Smith as the only girl out of five siblings and the mother of two "beautiful children with big hearts and straight As". "We are in disbelief and our hearts are broken," she added.

Smith was chatting happily as she boarded the flight, according to fellow passengers. "I had a chance to see your sister-in-law and her husband/companion board and shared a laugh," wrote Melanie McAuley Glab, "I'm so very sorry for your loss!"

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Smith had recently gone through a divorce from her husband Eric, the father of their two children. Coen and Macee are being looked after by their dad and other family members as they grapple with their grief.

"She gave her very best every day for you and worked her butt off to make sure to provide for you both," Swinney wrote. "This GoFundMe won't ease your pain, but moving forward, know that your mom would want you to accomplish your goals and always strive to be better versions of yourself."

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Volz said that no one in the family was aware of his sister having any pre-existing conditions before she flew down to the Caribbean on February 24. He said he could not "believe it's true", after learning of her death from his parents on Wednesday night, saying that everything appeared to be in "slow motion". He told the Post that his sister regularly called him because she "always wanted to affirm her love".

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The airline said that the flight continued its journey to Charlotte the following day. The family is sending its own doctor to the Caribbean to conduct an autopsy before her body is brought back to Indianapolis for a celebration-of-life ceremony on Sunday.

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"The love she shared with Coen and Macee cannot be measured or described in words," fundraiser Kristi Spratt wrote on the appeal page. "Also, her endless love for her family, friends and community will leave a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of knowing her. Stefanie will be so deeply missed by every single person who knew her, and we pray that the memory of her kind soul will live on forever."