KANSAS CITY, MO — The legacy of 19-year-old Christopher Hutson Jr. lives on four years after his death.
“That was his life goal, to make us proud and he did it, he did that,” Carthesa Hutson, Hutson Jr.’s mother said.
Hutson Jr.'s heart of gold, gave Gary Dixon, a new chance at life.
“I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 99, [I] had a defibrillator installed in 09, to basically start my heart in case it wouldn’t," Dixon said. "Then in 2017, my ejection fracture stopped to the point where my only option was a heart transplant. So February 1st, I was put on the donor waiting list. Coincidentally, it was the same day that Chris signed his donor card."
Huston signed his donor card, meaning that he committed to saving lives before his death in 2017. He was shot and killed during a road rage incident.
Four years later, his death is a constant heartbreak to his family.
“You created this life and it’s abruptly taken from you, and you’ve kissed every boo boo and I wasn’t there to kiss that boo boo, so it’s emotional,” Carthesa Hutson said.
However, a family’s lifelong heartache is eased knowing Christopher Hutson Jr. lives on.
“One of my brother's purposes, was to help people,” Desmond Hutson, Christopher's younger brother said.
“I envision him as my little superhero," Jaiden Huston, another brother of Christopher's said. "So it just brightens his picture for me, and enlightens his character, it shows the world who he actually is, instead of who he is to us."
Four years after his death, the Hutson family continues to carry on Christopher’s name and memory.
"It’s hard that I don’t have him, but like we said, we try to wake up with a purpose to keep his name going,” Christopher Hutson Sr. said.
Dixon, who is forever grateful, now carries Christopher’s heart, never skipping a beat and celebrating the gift of life.
“It’s really a blessing psychically, I’m night and day different. It’s not only the physical, it’s the mental and emotional," Dixon said. "Every decision you make, is like throwing a pebble in the water. It’s a ripple effect, I’m part of Chris Hutson Jr.’s ripple effect, and I want that to keep going because I want people to know who he, is I don’t want him to ever be forgotten."
