JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A family preparing to say goodbye to a 6-year-old girl is appealing to the public for help funding funeral arrangements.
Last month, Shykeria Bynes suffered serious injuries after getting hit by an SUV in Northwest Jacksonville.
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Shykeria was holding her older brothers' hands as they left the Gate gas station after school Oct. 15 when police said she jumped out too soon and was accidentally hit by the vehicle.
She spent the last three weeks of her life struggling to stay alive after suffering from a broken leg and severe head trauma.
On Nov. 7, doctors said Shykeria's heart stopped beating at least five or six times before she finally gave in.
"I try to be strong but that's hard to do when it's killing me on the inside," Shykeria's mother, Shanna Mitchell said. "The last time the doctors said, 'Well, we did all we can do.' We had been talking to her, trying to get her to fight."
The driver who hit Shykeria was not at fault, police said.
That driver spent days in the hospital by Shykeria's side and offered to pay for the dress in which Shykeria would be buried.
As each day passes, Mitchell said she wonders how she would ever move on.
"I just live just to be living," Mitchell said.
She said her only wish is to give her daughter the funeral she deserves but with the cost at about $7,000, Mitchell is asking the public for help.
"She's in heaven and I'm happy about that, but I wish I had more time," Mitchell said.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to Shykeria's family can do so at any VyStart Credit Union, where an account has been set up in Shykeria Byres' name.