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Fire ant bite kills Gwinnett County mom
FOX 5 Atlanta learned a single mother died from a massive allergic reaction stemming from a single bite from a fire ant. Officials say she couldn't get to an EpiPen in time.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga - There was a moment of silence on a baseball diamond over the weekend for a beloved Gwinnett County mom who loved to watch her son play ball.
"As we all know there are moments in life that are bigger than baseball," a woman said during the moment of silence.
The moment was for Cathy Weed who died Saturday after a severe allergic reaction.
"One single fire ant bite was enough to send her into anaphylactic shock," said Kitt Miller.
The news spread quickly through the Mountain View High School baseball community. Team parents have stepped up to make sure her son is taken care of on the field and off it too.
"We've got his back and we will be supporting him as he needs," Miller said.
A fundraiser for the family was created over the weekend and has already raised more than $8,000. Cathy was a single mom. Miller says the money will go to help her son.
"The Mountain View community is here to rally around the family," Miller said.
The family says they are leaning on their faith. Miller, who is a family friend, says Cathy had a severe fire ant allergy and the family hopes to turn this tragedy into a lesson for others.
"The importance of having your EpiPen on you at all times, making sure your family knows where your EpiPen is, taking those preventative measures," Miller said. "So that you know, hopefully something like this can be prevented."
Miller, who was surrounded by some of the baseball and softball team Tuesday, says the stands will not be the same because they lost a team mom who always found a way to stay positive, even when things were not going their way on the field.
"She was always there cheering her son on, cheering all our boys on," Miller said. "Just a very dedicated bear mom."
The family tells me they appreciate the support. You can help with the fundraiser here.