Mom of boy who collapsed at practice working to make defibrillators more readily available

CROWLEY, Texas - A North Texas mother has turned the grief of losing her son into action to help others.

Monica McBride Debbs lost her son Kyrell last year after watching him collapse during football practice.

Now, with the help from donors, she wants to make sure automated external defibrillators are more readily available at youth-related events, and more people are trained in how to use them in case of a similar emergency.

A well-known device for saving lives, AEDs are now part of a new journey for Monica McBride Debbs. 

"Parents, teacher aides, everybody. I want everybody to know CPR. I want to even have a workshop for children," she said. "I mean, they're first come, first serve, so whoever comes and gets the training."

She's a mom on a mission in wake of losing her 13-year-old son last August.

Kyrell McBride Johnson was an avid dancer and athlete.

He died shortly after collapsing on the field during football practice at Crowley's Summer Creek Middle School.

McBride Debbs was in her car at the time, watching the team practice.

The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as "undetermined." 

"I wanted him to know that momma is there and I'm not going to stop. I'm going to keep going," McBride Debbs said.

She's established the 'First Quarter' nonprofit foundation in her son's memory.

A woman in Oklahoma donated a pick-up, and a North Texas company supported the mission with a wrap bearing images of Kyrell.

"If Kyrell was here and he saw that, I know he'd be dancing away looking at himself all over this truck. That's our mission, just to preserve life," McBride Debbs added.

Armed with a new instructor's certification to teach CPR, and money from a private donor to purchase the first 15 AED machines, the goal is to re-donate them to youth-related groups.

"I just figured like, Monica, you have to do this. You can't stop, and I won't stop," McBride Debbs said.