Maddie Potts Forever: Chariho Mourns Senior's Unexpected Death

On the early morning of Sunday, September 24th, Chariho senior and soccer captain Maddie Potts died at Hasbro Children's Hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm.

The previous night during a game against Middletown, Potts suddenly collapsed while taking a penalty kick. With her parents watching, Maddie was tended to by a responsive team of medical professionals at the game and was later rushed to South County and then Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

Chariho Superintendent Barry Ricci added: "Everything that could be done for her on the field was done. A parent who was a doctor who resuscitated her.”

When she was at the hospital, everyone was hopeful that she would recover the next day. In fact, Chariho Superintendent Barry Ricci said that he left the hospital that night feeling as if Potts would recover.

“I can’t believe it,” he said to the Westerly Sun. “We left the hospital around 11:30, and I left thinking that she was going to make it.”

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Early the next morning Maddie died from a fatal brain aneurysm. That Sunday morning the Chariho girls’ soccer team held an emergency meeting with the support of the boys’ soccer team. The Chariho Director of Administration Susan Rogers told the members of the school committee the news of Potts’s passing.

In a statement, Superintendent Ricci said, “It’s with great sadness that we announce the passing of Chariho High School senior Maddie Potts. Maddie represented the very best of our school as an artist, an athlete, a classmate, a teammate and a friend.”

Ricci encouraged the community to “remember Maddie as a bright light in Chariho and share stories that speak to the meaningful impact that she had on our community. " He added his hope that everyone would work together to remember the positivity Maddie brought to the school and pay tribute to her life.

The following Monday night, students, families, and athletes from the Chariho community gathered on the main athletic field for a candlelight vigil to honor Potts. The candlelight vigil was sponsored by local sporting organizations and planned by a team of three students during the school day on Monday.

During the vigil, a slideshow played in the background, showing pictures of Potts on and off the field. Many people held candles and joined together in grieving, sharing stories about Potts's strength and leadership and comforting each other.

With Maddie’s family in attendance, Maddie’s close friends, teammates, and family took to the microphone to talk about the life and legacy of Maddie.

“She’s always been a leader,” said Maddie’s soccer coach, Brittany Godbout. “I am beyond honored to have coached her for the past six seasons, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep her memory alive.”

Many spoke about keeping the memories of Maddie alive because of the fact that she will never cease to exist in our community.

Then, Maddie’s mother Stephanie Potts addressed the mourning crowd. “No words can express the pain we are all suffering,” she said. “The only thing that may help is that we are all sharing this pain as a community — the community that Maddie was born into, raised and had such an incredible passion to continue to improve and grow with.”

Superintendent Barry Ricci told the Westerly Sun that there were several reasons to hold the vigil: “One is to honor her. One is to allow the community to grieve together, and another is to heal.”

Since healing does not take one day, the Chariho community is continuing to remember their memories of a girl who was a team player, family member, and ultimately their friend.