TEMPLE, Texas — Feb. 14 is Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Day and a Central Texas mother, Savannah Kilpatrick, is remembering her son who she lost to Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) back in 2021.
"His favorite was music. He loved playing the air guitar. He always had his rain boots on. He could be completely undressed, but he had his rain boots on," Kilpatrick shared.
CHD is one of the most common birth defects that can affect how blood flows through the heart and the rest of the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"CHDs can vary from mild (such as a small hole in the heart) to severe (such as missing or poorly formed parts of the heart)," CDC said.
Since her son's untimely death, Kilpatrick has started MC Healing Hearts, a non-profit organization that is helping to spread CHD awareness and raise money for toy drives and scholarships.
"Our goal is to raise enough money to help with our local scholarships, but our biggest goal is to stock the pantry at the Ronald McDonald house which is where we did a lot of our stay when we were in the hospital," Kilpatrick said.
Kilpatrick spoke to 6 News about advice she has for other parents of children fighting the disease. "To never give up and to trust your instinct. If you're unsure with something at the hospital and you're not happy with it, it's very important to speak up, " said Kilpatrick, "Now that he is gone, I feel that it is my purpose to help other families through their journey."
Kilpatrick, through MC Healing Hearts, is hosting a calendar drive and will use all the proceeds towards their annual toy drive and local scholarships.
Kilpatrick also spoke to 6 News about her favorite memory with Marshall.
"Colorado would be my favorite memory with him. I got to experience him in person living his best life."