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BAY CITY, MI — A staff member of a Bay City school is fundraising for a local boy who remains hospitalized a week after suffering severe injuries in a traffic crash.
Katie Phelps, coordinator of Washington Elementary School’s multi-tiered system of support, has already raised close to $2,000 for the family of Cortez Hickman as of the afternoon of Tuesday, July 21.
Cortez, 7, and his brother A’Fawnzo Hickman, 11, on the afternoon of July 14 were both struck by a vehicle on Center Avenue/M-25 near the intersection with North Monroe Street. The crash involved two vehicles.
The brothers’ mother, Cheyenne Wade, was with them and saw the collision.
Cortez was airlifted to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor for treatment of injuries including head trauma and a punctured lung. He was intubated for several days and remained in the hospital’s intensive care unit on a feeding tube as of Tuesday, Phelps said.
A’Fawnzo suffered two broken bones in one arm but is not hospitalized, Phelps said.
Wade and her mother have been keeping vigil by Cortez’s bedside. Phelps has been in regular communication with them and took it upon herself to try offsetting their travel, lodging, food, and medical expenses.
“Cortez is just one of those kids that’s super sweet and well-mannered,” Phelps said. “He’s just an awesome kid that everybody loves when they meet him.
“He’s small but mighty,” she continued.
After initially receiving donations via CashApp and Paypal, the outpouring grew substantial enough that Phelps launched a campaign on Spotfund titled “Support Cortez’s Healing Journey.”
The funds are going toward prepaid cards for gas and food. For those looking to contribute more to uplifting the boys’ moods, Cortez is a big fan of Spider-Man and the professional wrestling duo The Hardys, or Hardy Boyz, while A’Fawnzo is a basketball fan whose favorite team is the LA Lakers.
The boys’ grandmother, Shnecia Harris, stated her family greatly appreciates the community’s love and support.
Cortez “is coming along slowly but surely considering the impact his body took,” Harris said. “He does have a journey ahead him and a long recovery but it’s about how his body reacts and recovers from these injuries.”
Bay City police are continuing to investigate the crash and what caused it.
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