CHENEY, Wash. — Holding candles, and at times, each other, hundreds of people who knew sophomore Brayden Bahme gathered at Crunk's Sports Complex in Cheney, four days after the teen lost his life in a horrific accident.
“Brayden was a really sweet guy and everyone who knew him was incredibly blessed," Brayden's neighbor and childhood friend said.
The Cheney Fire Department says Brayden was impaled when he fell onto a goal post during P.E. class last Thursday. He was rushed to Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.
“Last week was just about as low we get as a school," Cheney High School Principal Brett Hale said.
Hale says it was comforting to see students wearing blue for Brayden on Monday, along with his soccer jersey number seven.
Brayden's mom hugged as many students as she could Monday night and stood alongside his teammates, friends and former teachers.
“This kind of kid doesn’t come along that often and it shows a lot about these two people standing right up here and what they did to raise this young man," a former elementary school teacher said.
Brayden loved to fish. Students were asked to sign and write messages all over his boat, which was described as his "happy place."
“I really miss him and I wish he was here," one of Brayden's former teammates said. "And he’s down and looking at everyone.”
Brayden's family created a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs. So far, it's raised nearly $30,000. They say the funds left over will be used to create a youth fishing program in honor of their son.
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