A tragic incident struck a family in Massachusetts when their boat caught fire, forcing them to swim to safety. The mother, who bravely swam to a nearby island, has sadly passed away, her son confirmed on Thursday.
Cynthia Sullivan succumbed to the injuries she sustained during the desperate swim to shore alongside her husband, Pat, and son, Tyler, after their boat ignited off the coast of Cape Cod on Monday.
Chris, her other son, shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook: “To everyone who loves and cares for my family, I wanted to update you. My mom passed away last night.”
“She went peacefully, and as she left us, we played some John Mellencamp, her absolute favorite artist,” Chris added, highlighting his mother’s love for the musician.
Chris also mentioned that his father is now awake and breathing independently, showing signs of recovery.
He praised his brother Tyler as a “hero” for his courageous actions in saving both parents amidst the chaos of the fire.
Calling his deceased mom ‘the best grandmother,’ Chris added: ‘This hurts more than anything I could have ever imagine [sic].’
The Sullivans were forced to abandon their 30-foot vessel – named The Third Wave – Monday night when the boat caught fire as they slept.
Cynthia Sullivan, a mother who swam for her life alongside her family when their boat caught fire, passed away from her injuries on October 23
Sullivan and her husband Pat (right) were sleeping aboard their vessel, The Third Wave, when they were awakened by their dogs barking
The Sullivans were rescued by their son Tyler (left), whom their other son Chris (center) called a ‘hero’
The East Falmouth family was ‘awakened by their dogs barking and the sound of fireworks followed by smoke,’ according to a GoFundMe shared by the family.
The blaze forced the Sullivans to jump into the water and make a hasty escape to Naushon Island, about four miles from Martha’s Vineyard.
They took shelter in a barn until Tyler found that his family boat’s radio had washed ashore Wednesday morning.
He used that to make a Mayday call, the US Coast Guard said, which took rescuers to Naushon Island.
‘Mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday,’ Tyler was heard saying in the call published by Fox News.
‘Our ship went down at Tarpaulin Cove. Our ship burned while we were sleeping and we barely escaped.’
He continued: ‘I’m in the farmhouse on Tarpaulin Cove. Right by the freakin’… the lighthouse. Yes, the vessel has sunk and we are on the farmhouse in the hill.’
Naushon Island is a seven-mile-long island off the tip of East Falmouth, Massachusetts, owned by the Forbes family.
The US Coast Guard rescued the Sullivans from Naushon Island on Wednesday
The US Coast Guard were notified about the family’s location by Tyler, who found his vessel’s radio washed ashore
Sullivan, pictured alongside her family’s dog Rugzy, was remembered by her son Chris as ‘the best grandmother’ (Photo from 2013)
The vessel had been reported missing by a ‘concerned family member,’ the US Coast Guard added.
A search had taken place throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning after calls to the Sullivans went unanswered and cell phone pings failed to provide an accurate location.
A Coast Guard helicopter found the family Wednesday morning and airlifted them to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts.
The Sullivan family said Cynthia had ‘passed away from her injuries’ on October 23.
Chris said: ‘My mom fought as long and hard as she could. It was her time is all. I miss her more than words can describe.’
Pat was later transferred to Brigham and Women’s Hospital Burn Center, where he was now awake and breathing on his own, WPRI reported.
Tyler was still hospitalized and being treated for smoke inhalation and third-degree burns.
The Sullivans originally planned to stay between Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard during the weekend and return home Tuesday afternoon.
