HERCULANEUM, Mo. — Kacy Day and his family said their final goodbyes to his son, Kadin Roberts-Day, at a funeral service on Saturday evening.
"I'm still at a loss for words," Day said.
Roberts-Day died on Sept. 4 after attending football practice at Joplin High School. Day said he got the call that his son was being taken to the hospital right after he got home from work and immediately got in the car to make the drive to Joplin from his home in Herculaneum.
"Before I got to Highway 30, she called again to tell me he was gone," Day said.
Initially, Day said people believed his son died from a heart attack. However, the final report from the coroner revealed he suffered a severe asthma attack.
Day said he put Kadin and his twin brother on a little league football team when they were young kids.
"One day, Kadin had an asthma attack at a game," Day said.
Kadin was in the hospital for more than a week, and Day said he decided to take his sons out of football for a few years.
Eventually, Kadin and his brother moved to Joplin with their mother where they started playing football. Day said he remained concerned about his son's asthma, and he hopes his son's death is a wake-up call for parents and coaches who have kids with asthma.
"I would just tell parents to keep an eye on them," Day said. "If you can't keep an eye on them, find somebody who can."
Day said he's started working to figure out the timeline from his son's asthma attack to his death. He doesn't place blame, but he said he would like to start a foundation to help ensure education and resources are available and accessible in situations where kids with asthma are more prone to attacks.
While Day said he does not know the factors that triggered his son's asthma attack, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America's website says heat, humidity and excessive exercise can all trigger attacks.
