"I'm grateful to have at least two months," the heartbroken father said. "She was the cutest baby ever and had the biggest smile and most beautiful eyes."
A two-month-old baby who lost her life during the tornado in Kentucky is the youngest victim. The little one died of the injuries she sustained, reports PEOPLE.
Baby Oaklynn Koon was put on life support after the accident, and on December 13, 2021, Koon was taken off the ventilator by her family. She died after suffering brain swelling as a result of her injuries, WHAS11 reported.
When the destructive tornado hit, Koon and her family sought shelter in the bathroom of their home, but their attempt to save themselves from the strong winds was unsuccessful. They were thrown out of the bathroom and into the street by the force of the winds.
Recalling the harrowing experience, father Douglass Koon said that he and his family hid in his mother-in-law's home during the tornado. Hoping to keep his baby daughter safe, Douglass strapped Koon in a car seat. "We felt it was more protection for her," he explained.
He further told NBC he felt "helpless in protecting my kids against it."
"It just picked us up and threw us around and landed us on the other side of the neighbor's house," he added. The entire family—including his mother-in-law, wife Jackie, 11-year-old son Bentley, and four-year-old son Dallas—was buried under the debris after being flung from the bathroom they were hunkering down in.
After they were rescued, they were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries, and at first, the little one seemed to be doing okay. But by the second day, her health began to decline.
She had a brain injury that got worse due to internal bleeding. Her parents didn't want her to suffer any longer, so they took her off life support. "I don't want to see my child suffer any longer than they have to because of me just trying to hold on to something that's not there," Douglas said. "I'm grateful to have at least two months. She was the cutest baby ever and had the biggest smile and most beautiful eyes."
In a post on Facebook, mom Jackie shared what it was like to be caught in the tornado with her family. She wrote, "Nothing is more scarier than knowing a tornado is heading your way and hearing your kids freaked out and thinking we are going to die."
Jackie added, "You really never think you would be the one that goes threw [sic] something like this. Man hold your loved ones tight. I'm surprised we all made it out alive. I never imagined having to go threw [sic] this in life."
Now, a friend of the family has set up a GoFundMe page for the family who is grieving the loss of their child and their home.
References:
https://people.com/human-interest/2-month-old-baby-dies-of-kentucky-tornado-injuries/
https://www.facebook.com/douglas.koon.31/posts/4642822735795372
Cover Image Source: Facebook | Douglas N Jackie Koon
