Family and friends are mourning the death of a seven-year-old Minnesota boy who died from a brain injury after crashing into a tree while sledding at a Boy Scout camp in Wisconsin.
Simon Caquelin was a first-grader at Central Lutheran School in St. Paul. He suffered a critical head injury in Houlton, Wisconsin, on January 27.
He remained in critical condition at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul until his death Monday.
Heartbreaking: Recent Boy Scout Simon Caqulin, 7, from Minnesota, passed away on Monday, 10 days after he was injured while sledding at a camp
First trip: Simon had traveled to the Fred C Anderson Scout Camp in Wisconsin without his parents; the fatal accident ook place on the very first night
His mother, Jennifer, confirmed her youngest child’s passing in a heartbreaking post on GoFundMe.com. writing in part: ‘My heart is gutted. You were born on a Monday, and we knew from the beginning you were meant for everyone, not just us…. You died on earth on a Monday, and in the end, we still know you were meant for everyone, not just us.’
According to the description of the online fundraiser benefiting the Caquelin family, on January 27, Simon was at his first Boy Scout overnight camp in Houlton, Wisconsin, with his best friend Simeon Thompson when tragedy struck.
The boys were going down a newly built sledding hill at the Fred C Anderson Scout Camp at sundown and Simon put on a headlamp over his hat so he could see better in the dark.
No one saw the seven-year-old crash into a tree at the bottom of the hill, but his seven-year-old friend later said he heard Simon screaming for help and went to get his big brother, who then summoned several adults to the scene.
Simon (pictured left as a toddler) was sledding when he smashed into a tree head-on. His best friend Simeon Thompson, also age 7 (pictured together dressed as angels, right), was with him and called for help
Simon’s dad Matthew Caqulin (pictured right) and his mother were at their older children’s basketball game when the devastating call came in
Simon’s forehead was swollen and there was blood dripping from his broken nose, ears and mouth. He was throwing up and drifting in and out of consciousness..
Paramedics who arrived at the camp Simon transported to the trauma centre at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St Paul, but on the way there the boy’s heart stopped.
The EMTs were able to revive him in the ambulance and Simon was rushed into the operating room, where doctors removed the damaged portion of his skull, only to discover that the main artery in his forehead had burst.
Simon’s heart stopped a second time on the operating table because of extensive blood loss, but doctors again were able to resuscitate and stabilize him.
His parents, Matt and Jennifer Caquelin, were cheering on their two older children at a basketball game in Minnesota when the devastating call came in that Simon had been injured.
They said the rambunctious, outdoorsy first-grader had only joined the Boy Scouts a few months ago and was excited about going away to camp for the weekend without his parents for the first time.
Authorities in Wisconsin believe that Simon was sledding down the snow-coveted hill at around 7.25pm on January 27 when at some point he veered off the path and smashed into a tree head-on. He was not wearing a helmet at the time, reported Fox 9.
The first-grader spent 10 days in critical condition at the hospital, but his injuries were too severe for the child to make a recovery.
Simon drew his last breath at 4am on Monday, after his parents and siblings tucked him into his hospital bed with his teddy bears and his toy duck, showered him with affection, said a bedtime prayer and wished him goodnight.
The family said their ‘strong little man’ was an organ donor and helped save at least four lives.
The bubbly, outdoorsy grade-schooler suffered fractures to his head and the main artery in his forehead burst, causing massive bleeding
Little hero: After he passed away, his healthy organs were donated to at least four other people, who now owe their lives to the little Boy Scout
‘Simon did love nothing more than to make people smile,’ they wrote.
After her son’s untimely passing, his mother Jennifer wrote movingly about coming home without him and finding things that reminded her of her ‘baby boy’ everywhere she looked.
‘You are all around me, all around our home,’ she writes. ‘Your toys are at the bottom of my purse, your games are still laid out from your play. Your reminders are still on my calendar, and your notes written on the whiteboard. ‘Your laundry is still unfolded and your room is a mess. Your artwork is still on the fridge and your profile is still on Netflix.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that a funeral will be held for Simon on Thursday at St. Stephanus Lutheran Church in St. Paul. The first-grader is survived by his parents, Matthew and Jennifer Caquelin, and two siblings, 11-year-old Savannah and 13-year-old Sebastian.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign for the Caquelin family has drawn more than $16,700 in donations.