Reed's Celebration of Life and Scholarship Fund

My name is Misty Spadafora. I am the mother of three amazing kids. On January 18th, 2023 my beautiful, 16 year old baby boy took his own life.

Reed has always been an amazing child regardless of all life had put him through at such a young age. Reed wasn't able to see more then shades of colors and shadows till he was 3. His eye started to cross at 3 and I took him to the Dr and found out he was nearly blind. I never knew. He could run, climb, and play like any other kid.

When Reed was in preschool he started having alot of trouble with meltdowns and anxiety. We started seeing professionals. Reed had an IQ test because he was so brilliant we thought he was gifted. Reed had scored 129 in sequential processing and a 96 on the simultaneous processing. The Dr explained to me that even though 96 is a good average score when these two numbers are more then 10 points apart it causes a learning disability. You see, his brain was working on two different levels and they couldn't work together.

A year after the IQ test Reed was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. We spent over a year with speech and occupational therapists, and over a year with a counselor. In second grade he was diagnosed with ADHD. I could go on more about the things he has been through in his short 16 years but that's not the point of me telling you this.

Reed was an overcomer. An absolutely brilliant child with a mind like no other. He could add and subtract triple digits at the age of three. He taught himself to play basketball when we moved to Florida in 2015. Reed made so many friends in Florida through his love of basketball. He was a regular at the YMCA of Tavares Florida and they all knew and loved him there. He encouraged and taught other kids how to work hard and to love basketball as much as him.

Reeds biggest gift was his kindness and ability to lift others up in their time of need. Something he has been able to do since he was a very little boy. However, I didn't realize the depths of the difference he made in the lives of his peers until the days after I lost him.

Several of his friends from Florida have been messaging me daily to check on me. Mothers in Florida have messaged me to tell me such amazing things about Reed. One told me how Reed was her sons first friend because he didn't want him to eat alone at lunch. Mothers and friends from both Florida and here in the Ohio Valley, where we live now, have reached out to tell me how Reed has helped them through the darkest times. Some even said they're child may not be here today if it wasn't for Reed.

Reed literally has hundreds of family and friends from the time we lived in Florida. They were unable to make the trip, most of them being teenagers. Not to mention a large Puerto Rican and YMCA community that is devastated. Reed would want these family and friends to have a chance to get together to celebrate his life just like we did here.

Reed and I had a trip planned to Florida in March to see family and friends. I still need to take this trip to Florida with Reed(he's being cremated and will be coming along) and for the rest of the lives Reed has impacted in such a positive way. They need their closure too.

Any little bit you could give to help make this happen would mean so much to Reed and so many other people. Thankyou you all so much for the kind words and love, it has meant the world to me!