On the morning of February 15, Madison Summerville was in her Spalding County home with her three children.
It had been an exciting week for the young woman, who celebrated her 23rd birthday on February 12 and then Valentine’s Day with her partner, Daniel Denham, who she shares sons Kayden (five) and Thomas (four), and daughter Paisley (three).
But the next day, all the joy from the earlier days was replaced by heartbreak.
According to Summerville’s sister, Chasidy, shortly before 11 a.m., a fire broke out in the bedroom and quickly spread across the mobile home where the family lived.
Chasidy said Summerville broke the window, lifted Kayden outside, and asked him to run for help.
Hearing the boy screaming for help, neighbors raced to the blazing home, rescuing Thomas and Paisley from the flames.
‘She went down’
Summerville, who was consumed by the thick dark smoke, did not survive.
“Terrible, just a hole left in my heart,” Chasidy told local news station WSB-TV 2.
Standing outside the gutted mobile home, her mom, Wendy Willbanks, and sister said that the loving woman refused to leave until all three babies were safely out.
“She was trying to get the rest of them, and I guess there was too much smoke,” shared the heartbroken mom. “And she went down.”
Spalding Country fire officials report that when crews arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames.
Summerville was pulled from the fire but died the next day in hospital.
“Lost without her,” Chasidy said about her younger sister, whom she held through the night in the hospital and helped her “get her ready for her hero walk.”
Chasidy was with her as she drew her last breath. “Not breathing on her own, smoke inhalation.”
Summerville’s daughter Paisley was unresponsive but regained consciousness the same day her mom died, and the boys suffered minor burns along with smoke inhalation. While there are no updates on the children, it was previously said all three are expected to make a full recovery.
And then Denham had to tell the kids their mom was gone.
“How the babies are going to react when they realize that their mommy is not coming home,” said Denham’s sister, Amber Morris, who adds if it wasn’t for the good samaritans, “there’s no telling how bad this would be.”
A heroine
Meanwhile, family and friends are trying to process the loss of the selfless mother.
Denham, whom she has been with since about 2018, shares a heart-shattering post on his Facebook site.
“My beautiful fiancé has passed, and I’m honestly at a loss for words, she was the best mother, wife, friend, daughter, sister that anyone could ever have. She made my life complete, she made our kids’ lives complete. She was our everything, so beautiful, but my baby saved our beautiful children.” The post, which includes several photos of Summerville with the family, continues, “She gave her life to save theirs…she will always be a hero to all of us.”
Many loved ones, offering support to the newly single father, changed their profile photos to include images with the deceased mother.
“She was a great mom and friend, she will truly be missed, praying for y’all and the kids love you son,” writes Jason Johnson, Denham’s father.
His cousin, Lucas Garcia shares, “Beautiful young soul gone [too] soon one of the brightest souls I met, one of the best mothers I known.”
Rylee Thacker, Summerville’s best friend, shared a Facebook post on February 15 from the hospital, begging netizens for their prayers. Next, she posted, “My best friend, you will be missed. I love you so much.”
A GoFundMe was created by Chasidy to help her “bubbly” sister’s family, who have no insurance and lost everything in the fire.
“My sister gave her life to try and save her 3 babies a super mom if you ask me but not only did she save 3 she will be saving 8 more,” she writes of Summerville, referring to her status as an organ donor. “11 people my sister has/will save in two days now that’s a hero.”
