By Aaron Miller-
Sorrow has filled the hearts of normally vibrant students at a quality university in Boston Massachusse, after a popular athlete from choking during a hot dog eating contest.
Madelyn “Madie” Nicpon, 20, a lacrosse player and biopsychology major at Tufts University, fell unconscious at an off-campus fundraiser on Saturday, October 16, in a tragedy that has shocked the university beyond words.
Her untimely death has saddened her classmates and all those who knew her, but also highlights a bitter lesson about competitions like this, and the news has quickly made headlines , deepening the sorrow for those who knew this bright and amiable young girl.
Tributes also poured in on social media for the ambitious young woman, who was also class president at Suffern with a grade-point average that exceeded 4.0- the equivalent of a grade A or A+.
An estimated 3,000 students attended an on-campus candlelight vigil for her that took place on Sunday evening in what one student described to this publication on social media as ”a sad an eery moment in rememberance of a real star of a human being”.
Tufts University is a much sought after institution of higher learning with plenty of sporting and social activities, including tennis, volleyball and football competitions tthat goes with an academic rigor its students can handle together with its extracurricular activities.
The hot dog eating contest was part of the “Play for Pink” breast cancer research fundraiser, which was widely attended by Tufts student-athletes. In retrospect, it was a bad idea.
”she was a true light for the Tufts campus community who was genuinely a friend to all,” Courtney Shute, head coach for the women’s lacrosse team, said in a statement. “Madie made time for everyone and cared deeply for people. Her personality was larger than life and brought a constant smile to those around her.”
Nicpon was a three-sport athlete in high school, an avid reader, class president, and someone who regularly achieved academic success. She was also active in the Church of the Presentation, a Roman Catholic church in Upper Saddle River, N.J, her online obituary says.
“Madie was also a very dedicated member of Church of the Presentation where she was a part of the youth ministry and took part in mission trips to Jamaica,’’ according to her online obituary posted by the Wanamaker & Carlough Funeral Home in Suffern.
On Friday, her family will meet with friends at the church in preparation for a funeral Mass to be held for Nicpon.
A warm tribute to the bright youngster read: “Madie Nicpon was a beautiful and brilliant daughter, granddaughter, sister, and friend. Her contagious smile and laughter lit up every room,’’ according to the posting on the GoFundMe account set up to help her family. “Her generosity and kindness has left a lasting impact on those around her.”
By Thursday morning, the account had raised $158,000 toward its goal of $175,000 from 2,600 individual donors, according to the site.
The number of donors nearly matches the 3,000 people who gathered to remember Nicpon on the Tufts University campus last weekend. According to Tufts, 3,000 people met at the Gantcher Center and then walked to Bello Field in a candlelight memorial.
“The number of community members who turned out to lend support to each other, to Madie’s friends, and to her family was a testament to how many lives Madie touched during her time at Tufts,” the university said in a statement.
The circumstances of Nicpon’s death were not immediately clear Thursday. However, the Rockland/Westchester Journal News reported she was participating in a hot dog eating contest as part of a charity fund-raiser, choked, went unconscious, but could not be revived.
Nicpon, according to her online obituary, was both an organ donor recipient who became an organ donor at her passing. “In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to New England Donor Services.”
Nicpon was known among the Tufts community as “Scooter” and as someone who used her love of dancing as a way to connect with people.
“She touched people deeply and had a unique and special ability to make people feel truly seen through a combination of her own vulnerability and her desire to make each person she encountered feel valued and loved,” Shute said.
The hot dog eating contest was part of the “Play for Pink” breast cancer research fundraiser, which was widely attended by Tufts student-athletes. It turns out to have been a bad idea.
Nicpon was rushed to Massachussetts General Hospital, where she tragically passed away the next day.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of Madie Nicpon — a member of Tufts Lacrosse and an incredible person that reached every corner of the Tufts University Community,” read a statement from the Tufts Lacrosse team. “Madie will be remembered as a bright light, a social butterfly, an amazing teammate, a kind and generous person, a wonderful sister and daughter and a Jumbo that we can all aspire to emulate. She will be missed every day.”
A second posts from Tufts Lacrosse describes Nicpon, nicknamed ‘Scooter’, as a true friend and teammate:“She truly valued her relationships with her teammates and coaches. Her reach was far beyond our team — she was a true connector on campus and touched every single person she met.”
The post continued: “She has and will continue to inspire us every day. We should all strive to live life a little bit more like Scooter did — a person that valued love, loyalty, compassion and friendship.”