Georgia boy stands next to railroad tracks with sign to raise money for mother’s funeral: ‘Please help bury my Mama!’
A grieving Georgia tween was seen holding a gut-wrenching sign by railroad tacks in his small town, trying to raise money for the funeral of his mother.
Kayden Ely, 11, was seen holding a sign saying, “Please help bury my Mama!” in his town of Lindale, Georgia, days after his mother, Shannon Mount, 45, died suddenly, WSBTV reported.
Mount had gone into cardiac arrest at her home on July 8.
Her boyfriend, Billy Upton, tried to save her, performing CPR on her until paramedics arrived and were able to revive her.
However, Mount still needed to be put on life support and died on July 18, according to the outlet.
Mount did not “have life insurance” when she died and left her 11-year-old son “without the only thing he ever knew,” a crowdfunding page set up for the tween read.
After her death, Ely was seen standing beside the railroad tracks in his town for two days, holding the tear-jerking sign.
However, community members took notice of the heartbroken boy, and others joined him on the side of the road, selling hot dogs and drinks to raise money.
But the small-town kindness didn’t end there.
An unknown individual, moved by Ely’s commitment to giving his mother a proper funeral, donated a burial plot for her to be buried, according to 11Alive.
Others have also chipped in to cover the funeral home expenses.
The crowdfunding page has also since exceeded its goal of $7,000, racking up a whopping $23k since it was posted by Mount’s cousin, Jennifer Fife, last week.
Fife wrote in an update that the extra money would be used for Ely’s college fund.
Mount’s funeral is scheduled for July 27 at the Good Shepherd Funeral Home chapel.
She was a mother of five and grandmother of one, according to her obituary.
The mother is remembered as a “straight shooter” who cared deeply for friends and family.
“She didn’t sugarcoat anything and was always ready to tell you off if you needed it. She loved her kids fiercely, even when life got messy,” family members wrote.
“She wouldn’t want anyone to dress up her life to be what it wasn’t. She was raw, real, and unapologetic. She wasn’t a perfect mother or housewife, but she tried her best.”
She leaves behind her sons, Chance Smith, Austin Ross, and Kayden Ely, her daughters, Tabitha Ross and Destiny Ross, and a grandchild, Kolton Turpin.
