Family fights for bullying awareness after 13-year-old's funeral

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The family of a 13-year-old girl who died after a fight wants to bring awareness to bullying.

Kashala Francis was laid to rest in a green and pink casket on Saturday. Her funeral was held at the Silver Lake Church in Pearland.

Kashala, a student at Attucks Middle School died last week at Texas Children's Hospital after doctors discovered a tumor in the back of her head that may have been exacerbated by the fight she was involved in on Thursday afternoon, her mother, Mamie Jackson, said.

"I can see these girls kicking her in the head while other children are laughing at her," Mamie told ABC13 as she described the video that surfaced of her daughter being punched and kicked.

In the video, at least one of the girls fighting with Kashala can be heard laughing.

Mamie said her daughter was jumped about a block from her school by two girls as she was walking home.

She said that when Kashala came home from school that afternoon, she had bruises on her face, but claimed she was fine.

But days later, Kashala briefly appeared to become delusional while spending the night at a relative's house and that she complained of severe headaches when she woke up on Sunday, Mamie said.

"I drove over and I told her to get up. I said, 'Get up, Kashala.' She kept saying, 'Mama, my head hurts,' so she laid down," Mamie said.

She said moments later, her daughter lost consciousness and she called 911.

Paramedics took Kashala to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston where she slipped into a coma.

Mamie said that while treating her daughter, doctors found the tumor in her head.

"We found out she has a large tumor in the back of her head, and she had fluid buildup in her brain," Jackson said.

Houston Independent School District officials released a statement saying they are aware of the "off-campus altercation" and were cooperating with the Houston Police Department in its investigation.

"She was a sweet baby, real sweet," Mamie said. "She always said she loved me, gave me hugs, kisses."

Mamie feels there is more she needs to know. Her daughter, going from a seemingly and perfectly healthy young teen to critical and dying days after a fight, doesn't make sense, even with a tumor that was unbeknownst to them.

If this fight didn't happen, Mamie strongly believes, "I still would have had more time with my baby."

According to the medical examiner's report, Kashala Francis died due to complications of intracranial neoplasm, a brain tumor.