Born on April 13, 2016 Kayla was a beautiful and vibrant eighteen month old baby girl. She was full of energy, smiles, and laughs. Kayla loved following her big brother Camden, then four years old, everywhere he would go. They were best buddies. Camden is an excellent older brother and cherished his time with his Kayla.
On October 10, 2017 Kayla woke up like every other morning, ready for the new day’s adventures. Kayla and her brother spent the afternoon with a family friend and their children. Kayla’s father arrived to pick the children up around 5pm after his recruit class at the fire academy. Kayla was taking a nap, when the family friend went upstairs to get Kayla, she found her unresponsive, and she couldn’t wake her up. She scooped Kayla up and ran her downstairs where Kayla’s father began CPR. The fast response by the local Police, Fire, and EMS crews was exceptional. Unfortunately, efforts to save Kayla were ultimately unsuccessful.
Any first responder will tell you that pediatric calls are particularly difficult to process mentally. Kayla was worked on by her father and uncle, both members of the same fire department. Kayla’s passing ripped through her community. Every responder that tried to help Kayla that day, knew her personally. It has been more than six years since Kayla left us, the support stickers and magnets can still be found all around town and in the fire station. Today, Kayla would be eight-years-old and in second grade.
I am whole heartedly running the New York City marathon in Kayla’s honor to raise money for first candle. First Candle is dedicated to saving baby’s lives and supporting families that have experienced the tragic loss of a child to SIDS/SUID.
Please consider helping me raise my goal of $7,500.00 toward First Candle.
