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Colleagues support Willowick police officer who had stroke before her wedding: 'We miss her'

Officer Madison Orton is just 27 years old. She's been on the Willowick force for three years.

WILLOWICK, Ohio — It's been a week since Willowick police officer Madison "Maddie" Orton had a stroke just two days before her wedding.

The 27-year-old had been shopping with her mom when it happened. 

"So she was with her mom when the stroke occurred. Her mom is a nurse, and she was able to kind of tell the signs of a stroke," said Willowick police Lt. Keith Lawrence.

The quick action of her mom saved Maddie's life.

"She's had two operations since the stroke: One to remove the blood clot and one to reduce the swelling on her brain," Lawrence said.

It's been a long week for the department. They love their colleague.

"She's been a great officer for us, been a great addition, and we miss her," Lawrence said.

Her colleagues say Maddie is a stellar officer, working with kids and as an aspiring detective.

"Maddie's a a wonderful police officer. She's been with us about three years and she's already made a huge impact on our department and the community. The community loves her. She loves doing her job. And, she does her job very well. She's been an impressive young officer. She has ambitions of being a detective one day," Lawrence said. "She's shown a knack for investigations. She's relentless, and she just loves doing her job, and she brings positive energy every day."

The support of the community has lifted the spirits of her family. And, so has the love from other departments, like Willoughby police, where Maddie's future father-in-law serves as a captain. Officers there are collecting money to support Maddie's recovery. Then, there's the love of her life, Cory Smith, a fellow police officer in Mentor. 

"Her fiancé has been by her side the whole time. You know, he's been ... he's been her rock," Lawrence said.

Magnets saying "Maddie Strong" can be seen on patrol cars at the department. 

"She's doing okay. She's in (critical but) stable condition; she's showing signs of waking up, but she's not there yet," Lawrence said.

Maddie has a long way to go, but her brothers and sisters in blue are with her every step of the way.

"At this point, we would all love for her to come back to work and put the badge on again, like she would love to do. We just want her to be healthy and just to live a good life. So that's what we're all praying and hoping for. And anything more than that is a bonus," Lawrence said.

Events are being set up around Lake County to help benefit Maddie.

A spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Maddie will be held on October 21 at Willoughby Eagles on 37299 Euclid Avenue. Dinner tickets will cost $20. All proceeds from the event will go to help cover Maddie's medical costs. Contact Julia Carnett at 440-669-9648 if you have any questions.

Also, the Lake County Treasurer's Office will be hosting a fundraiser for Maddie at Revolution Pizza locations in Willowick and Mentor on Saturday, October 7. On that day, Revolution Pizza will donate 30% of all sales to Maddie's medical fund. 

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