Family, friends mourn Westfield State student
Medway native died suddenly
Westfield State College senior Jordana Cassidy planned to become a social worker and maybe even move far from her native Medway to find a job.
"She was psyched" about graduation, longtime family friend Janet Casey said yesterday.
But instead of celebrating her graduation next Saturday, family members are planning Cassidy's funeral. Cassidy, 21, died suddenly on Thursday; yesterday officials at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed that the cause of death was encephalitis.
How Cassidy became ill is not known. Alfred DeMaria, director of communicative disease control for the state, said death from encephalitis is rare. He also said it was unlikely that Cassidy contracted Eastern equine encephalitis, a mosquito-borne illness, because it's too early in the season for the insects. Because there are dozens of types of encephalitis, no one may know what specifically caused Cassidy's brain to suddenly swell.
"In two-thirds of the encephalitis cases, no specific diagnosis is made," DeMaria said.
The Cassidy family has deep roots in Medway, according to Casey. Jordana Cassidy's father, John, is one of nine children who grew up in the quiet town, just east of Milford. He met his wife, Linda, at Boston College, and Jordana was the oldest of five children. Yesterday afternoon, Linda Cassidy hugged a framed photo of Jordana that her children had made for her that afternoon.
"There are so many stories," she said. But she was unable to continue as she sobbed.
Jordana Cassidy, a psychology major, began feeling ill last week during final exams, Westfield State College spokesman Craig Phelon said. She did not seek hospitalization at that point, he said.
"It was exam week," he said. "They wear themselves out."
Cassidy's roommates became concerned when she grew increasingly disoriented, according to Casey. At one point this week, Cassidy called her parents, and they told her to go to the hospital, Casey said. She went to Bay State Hospital in Springfield Tuesday, and within 24 hours she was placed on a respirator. Casey said she joined family members at the hospital Wednesday. Cassidy died Thursday afternoon.
A wake will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday at Crowley Funeral Home, at 3 Barbara St. in Medway; a funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at Saint Joseph's Church next door.
"A loss of this nature hits our college community hard at any time, and for our students in particular, can compound the stresses that usually accompany the end of the academic year," Barry Maloney, the interim president, said in a statement.
The college is making vans available for students who plan to attend Cassidy's funeral services.
Megan Woolhouse can be reached at mwoolhouse@globe.com. 