Mother of Greene County teenager who died of COVID-19 speaks out

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The family of a Springfield teenager who died of COVID-19 opens up about their son’s final days.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department announced the first death of a child from COVID-19 in the county on Wednesday. Maxamus Gideon, 17, died Aug. 25 at St. Louis Children’s Hospital after spending 38 days in intensive care.

Gideon’s mother told KY3 that her take on the virus has changed a lot throughout the pandemic. She said she could never have imagined that her son would become one of the thousands to die from the virus.

“I didn’t expect it to turn out like this,” said Melissa Lambeth, the teenager’s mother. “I expected him to get better and come home.”

All kinds of photos of Maxamus are now hanging in his family’s house, but this time they bring new meaning. These images contain memories that the family can always keep.

“He was a really good boy all around,” Lambeth said.

In addition to dozens of photos of her son, Lambeth said she remembers all of her favorite moments with Maxumus. One of her favorite memories is when she first started teaching him to drive. She said he forgot to look for traffic coming from one direction. But they quickly fixed the problem.

“All I could do was laugh,” she said. “You know, I was like, ‘You have to look both ways. And he was so nervous he stopped and said, “I’m sorry mom.”

She also cherishes the times he stayed awake to greet her on her late nights at work.

“He came running outside and he waited just to tell me he loves me,” she said.

These bittersweet moments are the ones she cherishes the most now. After the weekend of July 4, he fell very ill. She said Maxamus never really complained at first.

“It wasn’t until I said, ‘Dude, my head hurts. And my throat is starting to hurt, ”she recalls. “He said, ‘Me too. I think I need to go get tested.

Maxamus actually tested positive for the virus, as did his mother and the others. After a few hospital visits, Maxamus got worse.

“I never imagined my kids would feel what they felt,” Lambeth said.

Maxamus eventually had a fever of 106.8 and he had difficulty breathing. He spent 38 days on life support at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

“He understood when I told him I was there,” Lambeth said. “He managed to shake my hand. When I asked him if he was in pain, he was able to say yes. When I asked him if he was tired he was able to say yes and he cried. All I could do was cry and tell him that if he was ready to go home, he was fine.

Maxamus was eventually taken off life support. His mother was previously against vaccines, but she and other family members were vaccinated in hopes of being able to protect him when he returned from the hospital. Sadly, he passed away just before they received their second dose.

“That’s what he wanted us to do,” she said.

Although she knows her vaccine will not bring her son back, she wants others to hear her message.

“It’s not a scare tactic to try to get people to get vaccinated,” Lambeth said. “We try to tell people it’s very real. And that takes people away from your family a lot. It is very present, and that these people have names and that these families are suffering.

The health ministry said his weight may have put him at increased risk. His family said Maxamus suffered from sports asthma as a child, but no other pre-existing conditions. Her mother said her loss greatly changed the opinion of her family and friends about the vaccine. She said many were against like her, but are now vaccinated.

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