A Philadelphia woman has revealed how she was left in horrifying shock after a sarcastic text message to her mother turned into grim reality.

Maureen Branigan, now 30, had spent the day with her mom, Debbie Branigan, 52, grocery shopping and picked up ingredients to make beef stew for dinner. 

After the meal, the only-child and her best friend were watching TV when Debbie decided to drive back home as a snowstorm rolled in - a mere three blocks away from Maureen's house.

Debbie, who was suffering from type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, would often joke about how she'd slip and 'break her neck' whenever it snowed. 

Even though she was having a relatively healthy day, Maureen decided to text her to check in and ask, 'Did u make it home alive lol?'

But she never heard back.

'I didn't think twice when she didn't reply. It wasn't uncommon for her to just go home, go to bed, and then FaceTime me in the morning to make our plans for the day. We spent every day together,' she told PEOPLE. 

However, hours later as her now-husband was out walking the dog, he noticed his mother-in-law was still in her car in front of their house and ambulance was nearby. 

He ran inside to tell Maureen, who recalled 'not flinching' at the news.  

'Immediately, I called my dad, who was at home. I told him he had to get here, and fast,' she said. 

'At this point, we still had no idea what was going on. The medics couldn't tell us anything and we were stuck in limbo.

'Once my dad ran over, I think reality started to set in,' she adds. 'Since the car was still parked out front, we hopped in it and followed the ambulance to the hospital, which was just a three-minute drive. 

'We didn't speak much during that car ride. Looking back, I think we both knew what truth we were about to walk into,' she recalled. 

The family soon found out that Debbie had died of a cardiac arrest.

'When I sent that text, never in my wildest imagination would I have thought it would result in her dying. 

'Honestly, it wasn't the first time I had texted her something along those lines, and it wasn't the first time she had texted me like that, either. We morbidly joked pretty often. 

'I'm an only child, so we were absolute best friends. Anyone who knows us could tell you we were together every single day. My mom embodied everything soft and strong simultaneously. 

'Without fail, she was always in my corner. The best way I can describe her is that she wasn't afraid of anything or anyone. Nothing scared her. I could hand her anything, and it was never too heavy. Maybe she couldn't fix it, but she was there. She was the softest place to land,' Maureen described to the outlet. 

Years after her mother's untimely death, Maureen decided to share information about her death including her last texts as a part of an ongoing TikTok trend. 

'Without a doubt, the "are u alive lol" text captured a glimpse of our sense of humor,' she said. 

'A few people in my life have even agreed - it makes sense that this was the last text I decided to send her.'

Since Maureen shared the video and a screenshot of the texts, flocks of TikTokers have come together to sympathize and shared their own stories. 

'THIS LITERALLY HAPPENED TO ME my dad didn’t answer my text for a few days and I texted him “are you alive????” he in fact was not,' one wrote. 

Another added: 'My dad never picked me up from school…… I texted him “are you alive”. he in fact was not'.

'I can relate, when I was leaving I told my sick dad "hopefully, I’ll see you tomorrow". I said that because I had a lot of things to do the next day, not because he wouldn’t be alive,' one also shared. 

While another quipped: 'My last text to my mom was I heard you aren’t doing well, she was dead two days later.' 

Talking about the online reaction, Maureen said she was glad people shared their stories and felt validated. 

'When I finally explained the text to my family and friends, they were initially taken aback, which I get. But once it settled in, I think they saw the irony in it. 

'The online reaction was far beyond what I expected. Hundreds of people shared similar stories of innocent texts ending in, well, death. And I’m glad they can see it’s okay to laugh at life’s twists and turns. 

'So many people commented with their own stories; so many can relate. I obviously know I’m not the first person to lose a parent, but to see how many people have lost friends or family in a similar fashion, while sad — of course — it brings solidarity. 

'Feeling validated in my choice to embrace the laughter and quirks of this story really helps the grieving process.