12-year-old boy dies from flu after EMS unable to reach him in blizzard, family says

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KSFY/Gray News) - A 12-year-old boy in South Dakota died from the flu after emergency responders were unable to get to him during a blizzard, his family said.

Honor Beauvais was diagnosed with the flu and sent home the day before his death. His grandmother, Rose Cordier-Beauvais, said Honor’s condition worsened from there.

“We tried for hours to reach the emergency preparedness personnel on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation to get help for Honor,” she told KSFY.

A snowplow reportedly was eventually able to make a path for an ambulance and Honor was taken to the Indian Health Service, a government hospital three miles away, where he died.

Honor was a sixth-grade student at Sapa Un Catholic in St. Francis, according to KSFY. He was described as an outgoing and friendly child, who loved spending time with his family.

“The roads in South Dakota and on the reservation are finally being cleared enough so that we can plan the wake and funeral for our beloved boy, Honor,” Cordier-Beauvais said.

A GoFundMe was set up by his grandmother to cover funeral expenses. In a single day, the fund surpassed over $9,000, bypassing the original goal of $8,500 with over 250 donations.

The fundraiser is currently over $10,000 in donations.