A little boy who was wounded by a hunter’s stray bullet as a newborn has died.
Shayne Iverson, now 3, passed away peacefully at UPMC Children’s Hospital, according to a post on his mother’s Facebook page.
His family noticed Shayne had an extremely high fever on Saturday just hours after he passed out Halloween candy with his dad.
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Before they knew it, he was being rushed to the hospital and fighting for his life.
"The meningitis caused some swelling of the brain and they were doing some different tests and had noticed some lower brain activity," Jeremy Manners, a family friend who spoke to Channel 11 on behalf of the family, said.
Shayne's family continued testing, but there was no sign of recovery.
Stefanie Iverson wrote, “I am comforted by knowing that he is (in) heaven where he can see and walk and talk, where he feels no pain. That little boy was my life and I tried my hardest to give him a full, happy life. I know he knew how much he was loved. My heart will forever be broken. I miss my Bubba so much.”
Shayne was just a few days old when a bullet entered his family’s Saltsburg home, piercing his skull and exiting through his eye as he was being held by his father.
He lost his sight and suffered from other developmental delays.
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More recently, Shayne was hospitalized with meningitis, according to his mother’s Facebook page. His mother and father were by his side when he died.
His family says the timing is quite possibly the most heartbreaking. They were getting ready to take a Make-A-Wish trip in just three weeks, a trip Shayne was so excited for.
Jeremy Manners said the family is beginning to find peace knowing the little guy is no longer suffering or in pain.
He says the family has gotten closer over the years and believe Shayne will now be their guardian angel.
"I love him and I miss him already. He was a great kid and just having the time with him that I had was great," Manners said.
A GoFundMe page has been established to help pay for Shayne's funeral in addition to the medical expenses he incurred over the past few years.