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Kansas City family struggles to pay for child’s funeral after health issues

Published

2 years ago

May 30, 2023

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A big smile is one of the few ways 7-year-old Damario Smith could communicate. “He had the biggest smile ever,” said his mother, Irene Roades, who dedicated her life to taking care of him.

Roades told FOX4 that weeks after she gave birth to her twin boys, Damario and Damariae, in 2016, she woke up to the latter’s cries. When she went into their room, she said Damariae was fine, but that’s when she noticed Damario was not. She described him as “seizing” with “blood coming out of his nose” and that he “couldn’t breathe.”

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She rushed him to a hospital where doctors resuscitated him, Roades saying it was due to RSV and pneumonia.

“Ever since then he lost a lot of oxygen to his brain, so he couldn’t do a lot of things that normal kids could do like walking and talking,” she said.

Damario, she said, eventually required a feeding tube and help from different nursing assistants.

“He was happy no matter what was going on,” added Leola Fikes, Damario’s grandmother and Roades’ mother. “His face lights up and his mouth opens up so wide, I can see all of his teeth, and he laughs and giggles so hard and he kicks his legs in his bed.”

The family said Damario loved music and would dance while seated or in bed, doing his best to move his legs.

“He had cerebral palsy,” his mother said. “He had child mental delay. He had seizures. It’s a whole list I can’t even name off everything it was so much.”

Despite that, they said he attended Ingels Elementary for two hours a week to experience the normal life of a first grader. In fact, just recently the school voted him “Best Smile.”

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Roades said Damario’s last hospital visit happened two weeks ago for RSV and pneumonia. She explained that doctors felt he was okay to go home, but when he did, she said it got worse. Damario later passed away at home on Sunday, May 21.

“It doesn’t feel real. I still sit in his room every day. Every day. His brother lays in his bed because he misses him,” she said.

Now comes his funeral, something Roades said she’s struggling to afford since her main job was taking care of him. Because of the work that entailed, she said it was hard keeping a steady paying job.

Not only that, but the family said Damario did not have life insurance since he was considered high-risk with pre-existing conditions.

“I just want to make sure his funeral is as beautiful as it can be,” added Fikes.

They’ve started a GoFundMe to pay for his funeral at Palestine Missionary Baptist Church of Jesus Christ on June 8.

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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.

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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.

Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.

Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.

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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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