Woman gives out glow sticks on Halloween to keep children safe

By Garna Mejia

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    LAYTON, Utah (KSL) — Sunday marks 10 years since a Layton mother lost her son on Halloween night.

Jayden Rathbone, 13, was out trick-or-treating when he was hit by a car that didn’t see him on a dark street.

It’s a loss Crystal Conover hopes to prevent for other families.

From creepy clowns to scary spiders, Crystal Conover’s family goes all out this time of year. And it’s not just the decorations that are impressive; it’s also the treats, which are more than just candy.

It’s all in an effort to make Halloween special for every child that stops by her house.

You see, the holiday is bittersweet for Conover.

“Some lady’s kid got hit by a car because he couldn’t, like, see him,” a trick-or-treater said to Conover as she placed a glow stick around a child’s wrist.

“Is that what you guys heard?” said Conover.

“Yeah,” the children replied.

“Guess what? That lady is me,” said Conover. “That’s why I want to make sure you guys are wearing your glow sticks.”

On Halloween night in 2011, her 13-year-old son was out trick-or-treating when he was struck by a car.

“They just didn’t see him,” said Conover. “Ultimately from that, he did pass away.”

From the pain of Jayden’s loss, Conover found a new purpose.

“We decided to take a negative and turn it into a positive,” she said.

One glow stick at a time, Conover hopes to “Help Jayden Light the Way” for other children to make it home safely.

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