‘Prayers and Purple for Mayci’

Plans for a family gathering to celebrate what would have been Mayci Breaux’s 22nd birthday have grown into a massive showing of support by people who didn’t even know Breaux.
“Prayers and Purple for Mayci” started as an idea for a family get-together today for Mayci’s birthday, her aunt, Lana Sanchez said.
Family members were going to release balloons at Breaux’s parents’ home and wear purple the whole day, Sanchez said.
Purple was Breaux’s favorite color.
“She always liked to wear purple,” her mother, Dondie Breaux said.
Mayci Breaux and Jillian Johnson, 33, of Lafayette, were shot and killed July 23 while watching the movie “Trainwreck” at The Grand 16 movie theater in Lafayette. Nine other people, including Breaux’s boyfriend, Matthew Rodriguez, were also injured in the shooting.
Courtney Domangue, one of Breaux’s cousins, started the “Prayers and Purple for Mayci” Facebook page because she thought it would be neat to see people throughout different communities posting selfies wearing purple. Support quickly started growing for the event, she said.
Numerous schools and businesses have joined to support Breaux’s family by letting students and employees wear purple today. As of Thursday, 33 schools and 92 businesses had signed up to participate, Domangue said.
According to a Wednesday post on the Facebook page, east St. Mary and lower St. Martin parish schools participating included Patterson High, Patterson Junior High, Hattie Watts Elementary, Berwick High, Berwick Junior High, Berwick Elementary, Central Catholic High and Stephensville Elementary.
“It’s amazing and overwhelming, the response that we’re not even trying to get,” Sanchez said of all the supporters.
Breaux was known throughout the community and was crowned 2012 St. Mary Parish Sugar Queen.
Breaux was a 2012 graduate of Hanson Memorial High School in Franklin, and the school held a Mass this morning celebrating her life.
Cindy Mire, one of Breaux’s aunts, said the family planned to spend the day with Dondie Breaux putting purple balloons together.
At 5:30 p.m. today, family members will release the balloons, arranged in the shape of a rosary, in the Anytime Fitness parking lot in Franklin.
Hanson will play a football game against Ascension Episcopal in Youngsville tonight and fans are encouraged to wear purple in honor of Breaux.
Domangue said Ascension Episcopal was actually already planning to do something in honor of Breaux before school officials even knew it was also her birthday.
Cara’s Studio of Dance in Franklin, owned by another of Breaux’s cousins, had all of her dance classes wear purple this week, Domangue said.
Mayci Breaux helped with dance reviews at the studio after graduating from high school and many of the current dance students knew her, Dondie Breaux said. “They all loved her.”
Lots of students from the Tri-City area attend classes at the studio, family members said.
On Thursday, Dondie Breaux reflected on the time she had with her daughter. Mayci “was at that age where we became best friends. She wasn’t just my daughter, and we just talked about everything,” Breaux said.
“Mayci was family oriented and always wanted family around. She lived in Lafayette but couldn’t wait to come back home every weekend,” Breaux said.
Mayci was studying radiology at LSU-Eunice, a field she had been interested in since she was in junior high, Breaux said. She wanted to be a radiology and ultrasound technician and really wanted to do ultrasounds to look at babies, Breaux said.
Breaux has “so many memories” and “no regrets” of the years she spent with her daughter.
Mayci had a strong faith and “couldn’t wait to get married” to Rodriguez, have kids, and start “a new chapter of her life,” Breaux said.
Mayci never worried about dying, Breaux said.
She loved going to the movies and “died in her happy place,” Sanchez said.
“She was the only person in that theater that didn’t know what happened,” Breaux said. God spared her having to go through any pain, Breaux said.
“It’s amazing how many people that didn’t even know her (who) also feel crushed by this,” Breaux said.
The city of Franklin is working to build an amphitheater memorializing Mayci, which will replace the old Center Theatre, Mire said.

This story was written by Zachary Fitzgerald of The Daily Review. Reach him at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com.