From sorrow comes strength
Grieving mother formed nonprofit to honor her son’s legacy
Kathie Parks is not the same person she was four years ago.
After unexpectedly losing her 16-year-old son, Harrison, to a sudden cardiac death on March 30, 2014, she knew she would have to find a way to transform her sorrow into something positive.
“When Harrison died, there were two girls who told us about how he prevented them from committing suicide. One told the story during a vigil and the other came to us privately,” Parks said. “The stories were similar; the night they were going to commit suicide, they called (Harrison) and he told them not to do it. It’s a powerful thing to hear your son has that much influence, that they trust him with their lives.”
Hearing those stories gave the grieving mother the inspiration to form Harrison Hugs, a nonprofit that aims to spread awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and death, and get automated external defibrillators (AEDs) into every school campus.
“It just seemed natural,” Parks said. “The stars aligned for us that this was what we were to do for him. Saving lives, that’s what he did in life, and I couldn’t think of a better way to honor his legacy.”
Since its formation in June 2014, Harrison Hugs has raised thousands of dollars and purchased AEDs for about a dozen local youth sports leagues, private campuses and after-school programs.
The nonprofit also spearheaded a campaign to get the Simi Valley Unified School District to place AEDs in all of its campuses and train employees how to use the devices. That effort proved successful; in January 2015 the district spent $62,200 to purchase 50 AEDs, enough to have at least one on each SVUSD campus and at every sporting event.
Today, Harrison Hugs has expanded its mission to include teaching hands-only CPR at schools and community events, such as local street fairs, festivals and car shows. Parks said she hopes to one day take the effort national.
“It’s a slow process, but we’re finally starting to get our name out there,” she said.
Parks, who works full-time as a nurse at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, credits her three other children, 24-year-old Shannon, 13-year-old Olivia and 10-year-old Calleigh — Harrison’s siblings — for pushing her to keep going whenever things got difficult.
“It was the love and guidance of my children, their support and being there for me, that has made this (nonprofit) possible,” she said.
Forming and running the organization, Parks said, has been a transformative and healing experience. She has learned to be more compassionate, understanding, giving and forgiving.
“Doing this work in public has helped me to deal with the situation, heal from the situation and keep my son’s name alive,” she said. “I get to say his name out loud every day, and so many people say his name out loud back to me. After your child dies, hearing his name said back to you, it caresses your soul.”
