MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Almost three years after a Mid-South college student’s death, he’s saving lives. Lawson Wherry’s legacy is impacting hundreds of teens.

“Lawson was one of those kids that, when he walked into the room, he would light up the room,” Teresa Simmons said, Lawson’s mother.

Pictures tell just part of Lawson’s legacy, a young man his mom, Teresa Simmons, said was a kindhearted, loving, and adventurous Arkansas State University senior.

“He was driven and ambitious. He was funny and he was, needless to say, a great-looking young man and had a heart and a personality to go with it,” Simmons said.

He had a personality with a heart and soul that loved helping other people, especially children.

But on October 4th of 2019, Lawson’s heart, without warning, suddenly stopped beating.

“He had no signs, no symptoms, just a healthy, average 22-year-old young man in college. So, it totally took us by surprise when we got the call that night and it was a total shock,” Simmons said.

This came as an incredible shock because the night Lawson passed away, he wasn’t on an athletic field or basketball court, but he was at a friend’s house watching Halloween movies.

The medical examiner would later rule his heart showed no signs of dysfunction, but a genetic test indicated Lawson had a gene called ‘MYBPC-3.’

“It came back that he had that heart gene, and one of the symptoms is sudden death, and immediately after that, it just scared me because any other parent could realize their child is at risk,” Simmons said.

As a testament to his life, more than 1,600 people attended Lawson’s funeral. His giving heart is one reason Lawson’s family wanted to work with doctors at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital to start an awareness campaign called Lawson’s Legacy.

It’s the local chapter of “Project Adam,” which works to prevent death due to sudden cardiac arrest in teens.

WREG spoke with doctors about this condition. Dr. Gary Beasley is from Le Bonheur. He’s a cardiologist and cardiomyopathy specialist.

“Part of what Project Adam focuses on is making sure there are enough AEDs that you can get to in about a three-minute time span, and also there are trained people at the school should someone go down,” Dr. Beasley said.

On Valentine’s Day, Collierville High School received its first AED machine, or Automated External Defibrillator through Lawson’s Legacy.

Students and staff were put to the test using the device and their knowledge of CPR training.

Dr. Karine Guerrier is a Pediatric Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist at Le Bonheur’s. 

“There is an increase in interest, and you can see it on the news when there’s a young person that’s collapsed on a basketball court or on the football field, and we have a particular interest in saving all of our children,” Dr. Guerrier said.

Dr. Jennifer Kramer is also a Pediatric Cardiologist and Intensivist with Le Bonheur.   

“I think having these devices and promoting how people should use them is one of the most powerful legacies for families like Lawson’s family,” Dr. Kramer said. “This will save lives and prevent so many families the heartache that his family has gone through.”

From heartache to helping others, Lawson’s legacy lives on, reminding us about the young man with the philanthropic heart.

“I want to keep his memory alive, but more so, want him to be a presence for people we don’t even know yet, because he loved people and he loved to help people,” Simmons said.

To honor Lawson, his family and friends have been holding the “Lawson’s Legacy Golf Tournament,” and raising thousands of dollars to help Le Bonheur with the local “Project Adam” chapter.

To find out more about the next golf tournament, follow the link here.