Bainbridge fifth-grade student dies following illness Thursday
Published 4:51 pm Friday, March 27, 2009
A Bainbridge fifth-grade student died at Seattle Children’s Hospital Thursday night following a severe infection, according to school officials.
Sakai Intermediate School Principal Jim Corsetti said Kyle Melby, a Sakai student, was at home Thursday when the illness occurred. His condition worsened Thursday afternoon and the boy was airlifted to Seattle. He died at Children’s Hospital later that evening.
Parents of Sakai students were notified of the event in an email Friday morning. Corsetti said his school had extra counselors available throughout the day to help students cope with grief.
“We extend our love and support to Kyle’s family, as well as to those of you who know them,” Corsetti wrote in an email to parents Friday.
Bainbridge School District spokesperson Pam Keyes said she was informed by a Kitsap County Health District official late Friday afternoon that there was no indication the illness was communicable or posed a concern for other families. The hospital did not make medical details available to the district for confidentiality reasons.
The school district has recommended the following counseling resources. A full list is available from the district.
Local resources:
- Helpline House: (206) 842-7621
- Bainbridge Youth Services: (206) 842-9675
- Kitsap County Mental Health Center (Child & Family Services): (360) 479-4994, after hours, (360) 373-3425
- Bridges – A center for grieving children: (253) 272-8266
- 24-Hour Crisis Hotline: (800) 843-4793 or (360) 479-3033
Online resources:
- National School Psychologists – Helping Children Cope with Loss, Death, and Grief (.pdf file)
- hospicenet.org – Helping Teenagers Cope with Grief
- Focus Adolescent Services, “Grief and Bereavement”
