|
|
Photo by Tom Marshall
RIDING FOR AUSTIN—Motorcyclists from three local clubs led the funeral procession Monday for Austin Adams, the 9-year-old Mt. Sterling boy who died after a four-year battle with cancer. The clubs supported the Adams family in their bid to beat cancer.
|
| Community mourns loss of 9-year-old cancer victim Austin Adams |
By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer
Austin Adams, the Mt. Sterling boy who captured the heart of the community during his four-year battle with cancer, died Sept. 26. He was 9.
Hundreds attended visitation for the boy Sunday at First Baptist Church where he was remembered for his fighting spirit and lasting impact he had on those he’d come to know. A sizeable crowd also attended the funeral on Monday.
“It’s amazing how he touched people,” his father, Bruce, said.
In 2005, when Austin was 6, he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancerous disease primarily found in children 15 years old or younger, the Advocate previously reported. The diagnosis was made when Austin was taken to the University of Kentucky’s Children’s Hospital for treatment of a breathing problem, according to previous reports.
Austin had trouble breathing after he was struck in the chest by a basketball during a game with his brother, Zach, the paper said previously.
X-rays shows Austin’s chest wall was filled with cancer, what Lexington doctors had originally characterized as an asthma problem.
Austin underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for years after the diagnosis. His most recent hope was experimental chemo treatments he was receiving in Cincinnati in an effort to thwart the cancer that reportedly wrapped around his spinal cord and spread throughout his body.
Doctors were unable to stop the cancer, but the community managed to rally together to send Austin on his dream trip to Disney World shortly before his death.
Austin woke up last Friday feeling ill, his father said, but he refused to be taken to the hospital. He said the family accepted their son’s wishes and allowed him to pass peacefully at home with his family, including mother, Tammy, at his side.
Saying goodbye, his parents say, has not been easy.
Tammy said talking about Austin made her too emotional and asked her husband to speak to the paper.
The couple’s loss, Bruce, said, has been devastating.
“It touched us,” he said. “It has been devastating going through the loss of Austin. It’s one of the worst days of a parent’s life.
“It’s really hard,” he added. “It has been pretty much constant tears.”
Coping with the loss has also been difficult for students at Mapleton Elementary School, which Austin attended before his illness.
Principal Melody Claypoole said counselors were made available Friday and this week as well to talk with students who knew Austin. Some parents have also called the school concerned about their children, who were upset over Austin’s death, she said.
“It has really touched our school community,” Claypoole said.
She said she’ll always remember Austin’s smile and his homebound teachers often spoke of his sense of determination.
The school plans to plant a tree and dedicate a bench on the playground in memory of Austin.
Austin’s family says it has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support it has received since Austin developed cancer. They thanked the community and their church, First Baptist, for keeping them in their prayers.
Bruce said he and Tammy also appreciated that their employers, Major Brands and Wal-Mart, gave them time away to be with Austin for his treatments or when his condition worsened.
The family says they were grateful for the short time they had with Austin, whose fight inspired so many here.
“He was young, but so special,” Bruce said. “He had a way of captivating people.”
In addition to his parents, Austin is survived by his brother, Zachary of Mt. Sterling; paternal grandmother, Phyllis Adams of Means; and maternal grandparents, James and Lois Raney of Mt. Sterling. Burial was in Machpelah Cemetery.
For complete obituary information, see Page A2.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|