Imagine your best friend for a minute. They know everything about you and you’re pretty sure they’re your long lost sibling. Now imagine it’s your birthday, your family and friends are with you to celebrate you turning a year older. Your mom is bringing out the cake with starry eyes and a wide smile. At that moment your only concern is, ‘did they get me what I wanted?’ Suddenly the phone rings and your mom tells everyone to carry on as she runs to answer the call. Everyone begins to sing happy birthday and you blow out the candles. It should be a happy moment, and it is, but when the smoke clears you see your mother walking back into the room with a blank stare. That happiness she had in her eyes before is long gone and everyone surrounding you can sense the essence of suspense in the air. Your mom’s mouth opens to speak but nothing comes out. Everyone in the room is silent and your mother’s eyes are focused on you. Then the news you never thought you would hear is spoken. Your mother says four words you’ll never forget. “Your friend is dead.”

This is what sophomore Emily Hayes experienced on her fifteenth birthday when her friend Kaitlyn died of hypoplastic left heart syndrome at the age of 13.

“I was shocked,” Hayes said. “I broke into tears. I couldn’t believe she was an angel in Heaven, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Kaitlyn was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This is a congenital birth defect that occurs when parts of the left side of the heart (mitral valve, left ventricle, aortic valve, and aorta) do not develop completely.

“Kaitlyn died last year and throughout her life she had five open heart surgeries,” Hayes said. “She spent the last six months of her life in the hospital.”

Hayes  will celebrate her sixteenth birthday Nov. 26. In honor of Kaitlyn, she has decided to give back to the hospital that helped her friend during her last six months of life.

“There are other children out there who, like Kaitlyn, have to spend months upon months in the hospital,” Hayes said. “I wanted a sweet sixteen but I decided I needed to celebrate my birthday and celebrate the life of Kaitlyn too.”

Hayes is organizing a toy drive, and giving the toys to the Lubbock Women’s and Children’s Hospital. While in Lubbock, Hayes, her four closest friends, her mother and Kaitlyn’s mother will visit Kaitlyn’s grave. It will be Hayes first time since the funeral.

“[To get the word out about my toy drive] I am making posters and putting them up in numerous places and I’m going to pass out flyers,” Hayes said. “I’m really anticipating going back to her gravesite. It’s been almost a year and I still feel the same emotions [now] as I did then.”