Madison (Maddy) Briggs is from Manhattan, New York. She was in 3rd grade, just 8 years old, when the World Trade Centers fell on September 11th, 2001. Her dad was a firefighter, and his station was one of the first on scene that day.
Her dad, Larry...
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Madison (Maddy) Briggs is from Manhattan, New York. She was in 3rd grade, just 8 years old, when the World Trade Centers fell on September 11th, 2001. Her dad was a firefighter, and his station was one of the first on scene that day.
Her dad, Larry Briggs, was forever changed after the events of this day. He became a heavy drinker, which resulted in him isolating himself from his wife, Madison's mom, Stacy, and from Madison. Her father's survivors guilt ultimately led him to take his own life, just 4 years later, in 2005. Maddy was 12.
Her mom was the strongest women Maddy knew— stepped up tremendously after her dad died. She and her mother only got closer after his death.
Her father's death also allowed her to get even closer to her very best friend, Tyler Kennedy (TK) Strand. Tyler's dad, Owen Strand, and Madison's dad were in the same station, the 252. They were both there that day. Owen has handled the survivors guilt better than her dad, but he still suffers with it. Most of the firefighters that were there do.
When Madison was in high school, her mom got hurt in a fall, and Madison quit tennis her senior year to be there during her mom's physical therapy. She owes a lot to the Strand's; they helped her tremendously with her mom— brought them food, entertained Madison while her mom did her therapy.
Her mother's injury, along with watching her second dad, Owen Strand, at his fire house inspired Madison to become a nurse. She studied at Pennsylvania State University, and then attended University of Pennsylvania where she graduated with a Master's of Science in Nursing, in Nursing & Health Care Administration. Upon graduating, she took a job back in New York at a hospital in Brooklyn, but soon after, she was hit with the news that her best friend and his dad would be moving to Texas.
There was a station in Texas that needed incredible amounts of help after a tragic accident left all but one of their firefighters dead.
Maddy and Tk, and Owen, kept in contact throughout the guys' time in Texas, but she hadn't gone to visit them. Because unbeknownst to TK, Maddy had applied for a job in Austin. She will be 28 this year, and is starting a new adventure.. a new, life-changing adventure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Its early January, 2020 and Maddy has a surprise for her lifelong best friend, Tyler Kennedy Strand.
