Her doorcam immortalized the last time her late brother came home: 'I will spend forever...'

Death is uncertain, and when it arrives without warning, it leaves no time to process, no space to prepare, and no way to stop what has already taken place. One moment, life is moving as expected, and the next, everything changes. A video shared by Madeline on her Instagram page @madelinesorlie shows how that kind of change unfolded inside her home. The footage, captured by a security camera, recorded the last time she ever saw her brother alive. In the caption, she wrote, "Tell me anything in life prepares you for this kind of trauma." The video captured the last time her brother came home. 

The CCTV footage showed her brother entering the home. "Me coming home to something I’d never expect or could imagine. My brother’s last time coming home," she added. What followed were responders arriving, then her closest friends coming to pick up her kids from her mother. She described the moment her brother was carried out of the house as the part that never leaves her. "And my brother leaving my house for the last time… in a body bag," she wrote, adding, "And then the numbness afterwards." She said she was thankful for her tribe over the past year. The footage doesn’t show the full story, but she discusses her failed CPR attempts in a different post. Toward the end of the video, she included a still photo of her brother sitting on the beach at sunset, writing, "I love and miss you, brother," she wrote.

In a separate post, she shared family photos with her brother, reminiscing about the sudden loss, writing, "Forever 33. I will spend forever missing you, big brother." Sudden loss like this changes the course of a person’s life. A significant study from 2014 by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health examines the impact of sudden bereavement on mental health. It found that unexpected loss is not only one of the most common forms of trauma but also one of the most destabilizing, with strong links to depression, PTSD, and anxiety-related disorders. The emotional fallout, especially when paired with the abruptness of loss, can reshape every part of a person’s life.

The post hit hard for many who had lived through similar losses and recognized what it meant to be changed by a moment like that. @holly_anne_parker wrote, "This hit me a little hard. Sibling loss is the worst. I lost my brother in 2020. It changed my life forever. I’m sorry for your loss." @jazinmypants_ commented, "I had to walk past my cousin’s dead body on the cold ground. After I had watched them try their hardest to revive him. I will never ever ever forget the screams coming from my uncle. I’m so sorry you had to be the one. Your strength is amazing. Sending you so much love from a stranger."

@the_illustrious_lucyford added, "I was not prepared for the amount of emotions I am having for you this morning. I am so sorry. I don’t have siblings and can’t even begin to imagine your level of heartache. It must feel unsurmountable." @boehnleinann noted, "Losing parents or siblings is a loss like no other. If you’ve been through it, you know." @fungi_ology gave her two cents, "It's chilling to see his approach to the house. Hurts so much to see someone struggling, especially those we love. You never gave up on him. Not that it makes it better, but your home was his home and a safe place as well, and he went where he felt safe to do so."

You can follow Madeline (@madelinesorlie) on Instagram for more family content.