February 3, 2025
Community Rallies Around 9-Year-Old Fruitland Park Student Kaleb Newman After Severe Burn Accident
By Kyle Coppola
Community Rallies Around 9-Year-Old Fruitland Park Student Kaleb Newman After Severe Burn Accident
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A 9-year-old Florida boy who attends Fruitland Park Elementary school is beginning a long road to recovery after suffering severe burns in an accident at his family’s home last week.
Kaleb Newman sustained second- and third-degree burns covering 40% of his trunk and extremities on Jan. 30. He was airlifted to an Orlando hospital for initial treatment before being transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville. He remains in stable condition, heavily sedated for pain management, and while he is receiving oxygen support, his lungs were not affected by the burns.
On Monday, Kaleb underwent his first surgery to apply mesh grafts, a procedure that will help doctors assess the full extent of his injuries and determine the next steps in his treatment. His medical team expects multiple skin graft procedures in the coming weeks, and his recovery process is anticipated to be lengthy.
Family members describe Kaleb as an energetic and compassionate child who loves cooking, helping others, and dreams of one day becoming a police officer, firefighter, or following in his parents’ footsteps by joining the Marine Corps.
As the Newman family navigates this challenging time, they are seeking financial assistance to help cover Kaleb’s medical expenses, including the cost of multiple airlift transfers and ongoing treatments. His parents, Quincy and Fulvia Newman, do not have medical insurance, and the mounting hospital bills have placed a significant financial strain on the family. There is a link to a gofundme here:
“The outpouring of love and support has been incredible,” the family shared in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has reached out, donated, and offered prayers. Please continue to keep Kaleb in your thoughts.”
Those wishing to support Kaleb’s recovery can contribute through a fundraising campaign organized by his family. Donations and shares of the campaign are appreciated as they work to provide the care and resources necessary for his healing. If you are unable to donate, a simple prayer or supportive comment would go a long way.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
