Legacy of sudden death spurs woman's mission
By Caleb Hellerman, CNN
Growing up in Southern California, Holly Morrell and her brother, Eric, had no closer friends than their cousins Kyle, Mitchell and Desiree. Holly's father, Chuck, and his twin brother, Gary, were the famous "Touchdown Twins," stars at Downey High School in Modesto and then Washington State University. After a brief stint in pro football, Chuck became an actor and film producer. Gary was a sports broadcaster.
But a dark shadow was creeping toward the youngsters' sun-drenched lives. There had been hints. Their fathers' sister had died of an unknown cause at age 3. Their grandmother died of heart disease at age 54.
But those shocks were nothing like the one they got in 1975, when Kyle, just 12, collapsed in sudden cardiac arrest. He lingered in a coma for two months and then died.