A Rutland firefighter’s wife and newborn twins have passed away, days after the pregnant mother suffered a “severe medical emergency” and was rushed to the hospital, officials announced Saturday morning.
“The Chief of the Department regrets to announce the sudden passing of firefighter Patrick Sullivan’s wife, Ciara, age 30, along with their 11-day-old twins, James and Elizabeth,” the Rutland Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post.
James and Elizabeth passed away “quietly and peacefully” alongside Ciara, the Rutland Regional Emergency Communication Center wrote in a separate post.
“Words cannot express the total devastation and unimaginable loss this tragedy has brought,” the Rutland RECC stated. “Please keep Pat in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time—he needs all the strength and support we can give him.”
Ciara suffered a medical emergency on Tuesday, December 17, just hours before she was to deliver her babies. She was rushed to Memorial Medical Center in Worcester and intubated.
Patrick and Ciara’s twin babies were delivered prematurely via emergency C-section and put on ventilators.
Patrick Sullivan spoke with Boston 25 on Thursday night from the hospital and said, “The prognosis is not good…I’m devastated and furious this is happening.”
Rutland first responders and residents gathered at a vigil in the town’s community park earlier this week to pray for the Sullivan family.
Patrick’s colleagues were some of the first responders to Ciara’s 911 call.
“It broke my heart to hear my fellow firefighter crying and yelling while his wife was lying on the front steps,” one colleague explained.
Patrick currently serves as a town firefighter and worked as a 911 dispatch supervisor for more than 13 years. The Rutland Fire Department remembered Ciara as a “dedicated public servant” who previously worked as a 911 dispatcher and an emergency management specialist for FEMA.
“The Sullivan family would like to express their deepest, heartfelt appreciation for the outpouring of love and generosity during this difficult time,” the department added.
A fund set up to support the Sullivan family has raised $79,387.
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