20-year-old Massachusetts nursing student and CNA dies while on vacation in Mexico

A Massachusetts Certified Nursing Assistant that was on her way to earning her nursing degree has died after an incident while on vacation in Mexico.

According to an obituary released by her family, 20-year-old Leah “Lee” Pearse died in the early morning hours on Friday.

“After a great beach day, amazing dinner, and fantastic dancing, she attempted to enter her Airbnb through the third-floor balcony because the keys had been locked inside. Tragically she slipped, fell, and died instantly.”

When Pearse turned 18, she began working at Mass General Hospital as a CNA while earning high marks at Simmons College and pursuing her five-year Master’s in Nursing.

According to a social media post from her former team, Pearse was a former lacrosse player and also participated in swimming and crew while at Haverhill High School. Her coach Christina Lynch remembered Leah’s positive and warm personality. “Leah was a hard worker. She was a true team player. She was always willing to play anywhere, and she always had a smile.”

Pearse’s family gave a look into the type of person she was in her obit.

“If you knew Leah, you know she put everything on the table right off the bat. People felt they knew her after just the first interaction, and often they loved her immediately for the ease her presence brought to every room she entered. Her confidence, compassion, and amazing sense of humor had a magnetic effect and she tended to bring out the best in the people around her. She was bold and brave to always make her truth known and she was one of the least judgmental people that many have ever met. She was a firecracker as a child; spunky, stubborn, and self-assured.”

A funeral service will be held at the Haverhill Country Club, 58 Brickett Lane, Haverhill, on Friday, January 13th. The family will be receiving visitors from 12-3 PM and hold a memorial service from 3-4 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks to donate to the American Nurse’s Foundation to a fund set up in Leah’s name.