1-Year-Old Boy Who Was Being Held by His Father Dies After Tree Falls on Them: 'Devastating'
Dad Chris Sellers suffered cuts, scrapes and hematomas after the incident that killed his son Jaxx
A 1-year-old boy has tragically died after a tree fell on him while he was being held by his father.
Roxxe Perkins confirmed to The Boston Globe that her son Jaxx died shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday.
The child's father, Chris Sellers, survived the nightmare but suffered cuts, scrapes and hematomas, according to a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of the family.
"We appreciate everyone who has reached out to help and check in on us," Perkins told the Globe in a statement. "Prayers are appreciated."
The tragic incident unfolded on Friday at a home on New Fitchburg Road in Townsend, Massachusetts, the Townsend Police Department stated in a press release.
Authorities said they arrived at the scene and soon learned that the 1-year-old boy was being held by his father when the tree fell on them.
Following the incident, Jaxx was airlifted to Boston's Tufts Medical Center and admitted to their pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), according to the GoFundMe page. Jaxx was put on a ventilator, the page said, but it wasn't long before doctors confirmed the worst to Perkins and Sellers: their son likely wouldn't make it.
GoFundMe page organizer and high school friend Lsea Baker said Perkins and Sellers "agreed to allow [Jaxx] to pass peacefully" on Saturday.
The couple later confirmed that they would donate their son's organs "to help other families avoid the fate of losing their own children," according to the fundraiser.
Since launching the GoFundMe on Saturday, the page has raised over $25,000. Baker said the proceeds will be used for funeral expenses and medical bills.
"Roxxe will let me know when she is ready to pull the money out from this account as this is a very difficult time [for] her and Chris," Baker wrote. "Anything will be appreciated during this devastating time."
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As the couple continues to grieve, Perkins and Sellers are leaning into their support system to help them process the unimaginable loss.
"Everyone has said to reach out if I needed anything and I do," Perkins wrote on Facebook. "We will be home tomorrow and Chris and I would really like some company. I really don't want to be alone."
In a separate Facebook post, Perkins heartbreakingly wrote, "I just don't know what the f— I did wrong to lose my son."
Those interested in donating to Jaxx's GoFundMe page can do so here.