When Ricky Rodriguez learned that his friend Bianca Mohr’s older brother, Jackson, 13, had died from sudden cardiac death on April 22, 2021, he was determined to lift the spirits of his pal and make a difference in his community.
His big idea came as Rodriguez, now 12, was writing a sympathy card for Bianca. “I know! There should be a Jackson Mohr Day, and maybe Bianca will feel better if I do that,” he told his mother, Erin Rodriguez, a digital content producer for a San Antonio TV station.
Ricky immediately took action. He started a change.org petition that garnered nearly 4,000 signatures and called on government leaders in San Antonio to honor Jackson — who was named Cadet of the Year at Texas Military Institute Episcopal just days before his death last year — by making a new holiday, Jackson Mohr Day, on April 22.
Rodriguez followed up the petition with a heartfelt, handwritten letter to San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
“When he gets an idea, he’s very big on seeing it through,” says Erin, adding that Ricky has high-functioning autism.
The sixth grader’s determination recently resulted in a declaration from the city that April 22 is now officially “Jackson Mohr Day.” The declaration also included Ricky’s appeal to the young people in San Antonio to observe the special day by learning more about sudden cardiac death — and doing 22 nice things for others.
“It makes me feel good,” says Ricky. “It’s basically going to be a day for kindness, and sudden cardiac death awareness.”
For the family of Jackson Mohr, Ricky’s endeavor has been uplifting. “I think it’s amazing, it’s remarkable what Ricky’s done,” says Jackson’s mother, Erika Mohr, 48.
“We lost a good person, and Jackson’s legacy is living on by doing good,” she says. “That’s what our world needs.”
Jackson was a seventh grader at TMI Episcopal who loved baseball and was “just a happy little quiet kid that had the biggest heart,” says his mom.
On the morning of April 19, her husband, Timothy, found Jackson unresponsive in bed. “I did CPR on him,” says Erika, a flight attendant for Southwest, before EMS workers took over and brought Jackson to Methodist Children’s Hospital. He was on life support before dying days later from sudden cardiac death, which was caused by an undetected heart abnormality.
For the last year, Erica and Timothy Mohr have been volunteering with the nonprofit AugustHeart to bring free heart screenings to San Antonio-area teenagers to detect issues including the one that Jackson had — Long QT Syndrome — that can lead to sudden cardiac death.
As part of Friday’s Jackson Mohr Day celebration at Jackson’s school, his former classmates will be focusing on doing 22 kind things for others. At night at a local park, heart screenings will be offered.
Ricky, of course, plans to attend. “It makes me feel glad,” he says, “that people will know more about sudden cardiac death.”
This isn’t isn’t the first time Ricky has helped others. A competitive Scrabble player who has competed all over the country and in Malaysia, he befriended assisted living resident and Scrabble lover Pat Griffith.
Ricky played weekly with the 86-year-old until her death in 2020. In Griffith’s obituary, her family thanked Ricky for “the competition-level Scrabble games.”
His generous use of his time, says Jackson’s mom, Erica, is typical of Ricky’s altruistic nature. “Ricky wasn’t [creating Jackson Mohr Day] for himself or for us, he was doing it for the kids,” she says. “He was doing it for the community, to do good.”
https://news.yahoo.com/6th-grader-gets-texas-city-170834212.html
