After Kayleb Briggs, 8, of Cedar Hill died from an apparent asthma attack on Halloween, friends, neighbors and even strangers have come out to support his family, said his grandmother, Marian Alexander of the Hillsboro area.
Kayleb, who died not long after returning home from a friend’s house on Oct. 31, was a second-grader at Hillsboro Elementary School, and the Hillsboro R-3 School District community also has offered its support, Alexander said.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the support,” she said.
On Nov. 2, students at Hillsboro Elementary held a balloon release in his honor. On Nov. 3, the Hillsboro High School varsity football team dedicated its game to Kayleb and went on to win the district championship. Boy Scout Troop 420, which is based at the R-3 district, has set up a memorial fund at Enterprise Bank.
In addition, a Go Fund Me account has been set up for the family, and as of Monday, $12,085 had been raised to help cover Kayleb’s funeral expenses, Alexander said.
Kayleb was the adopted son of Gregory and Kristina Briggs. He was premature at birth, and Kayleb was diagnosed with asthma when he was 6 months old, Alexander said.
On Halloween night, he was at a friend’s house enjoying Halloween.
“They didn’t go out trick-or-treating really. They had chicken and dumplings and apple pie,” Alexander said. “When he got home, he was playing with his cars. He was having trouble breathing and he got in his chair by his machine. His father ran to get the nebulizer, and they gave him his treatment, but he got very stiff and seemed to have a seizure,” Alexander said.
His mother, a pediatric nurse, could not find a pulse, so she began CPR and called 911. Emergency medical personnel came, and Kayleb was taken to the hospital, his grandmother said.
“He just didn’t make it,” she said.
Alexander is asking for prayers for the family.
She said Kayleb was a happy child who enjoyed life and knew everyone. He was outgoing and very friendly. He loved hugs and saying ‘I love yous.’
“I’ve lived in the community for 40 years and he knew more people than I do,” Alexander said. “The other day we were at Northwest Towing (in House Springs), and he was hanging out the window (of the car) talking to a truck driver.”
Kayleb told his grandmother he had met the man at the library, Alexander said.
She said Kayleb’s mother and father cared deeply for their son, adding that his mother has almost 4,000 pictures of him and had kept all his school work.
“If ever there was a child who was loved, it was him,” Alexander said.
In the R-3 district, a letter was sent home to parents informing them of Kayleb’s death so parents could tell their children about the loss of their schoolmate. Counselors were provided for staff, teachers and students to help them deal with their grief, Superintendent Aaron Cornman said.
“We’re emotionally distraught at his passing. We’re interested in healing and remembering what a great young man he really was,” Cornman said.
And the support for the family keeps coming. His first-grade teacher came by the house to talk to the family, and the school principal talked about possibly naming a nature trail in Kayleb’s honor, Alexander said. She said a florist donated the casket spray, and a man at Rose Lawn Cemetery donated a headstone.
Jeannie Baumgartner, who set up the Go Fund Me account for the family, said the support has been “amazing.”
For obituary information, see Page 23A.