Elliott "EJ" Wright is remembered for being happy and outgoing.
An Allendale mother is working to honor her son who unexpectedly passed away in early June. Elliott “EJ” Wright was seven-years-old when he collapsed in the Barnwell Walmart.
“On June 2nd, he collapsed in Walmart and he died,” said his mother, Jasmine Walker.
EJ was born with a rare heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means the left side of his heart was underdeveloped and struggled to effectively pump blood to his body. There is no cause or cure for this affliction.
“He was very happy and outgoing. You would never have thought that anything was wrong with him,” said Walker.
“He had his first open heart surgery at five days old. At six months old he was on stents, and he was doing good,” said Walker. “They said the longer he had with his own heart, the better.”
The week before his passing, EJ was admitted at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, and was later discharged.
“They discharged him because they said he was well enough to go home,” said Walker. “He was supposed to go back to the hospital that Monday for a heart cath, but he collapsed in Walmart and he died at Walmart on that Thursday.”
Walker’s sister, Latoya Walker, her niece, Majesti Fitz, and nephew, Amari Walker, were visiting the Barnwell Walmart from Allendale to get some shopping done before heading to Red Oak Road to ride four-wheelers with family.
When EJ collapsed, only two Walmart employees came to help, according to Walker. One employee was Alyssa Walters, who helped Walker give her son CPR until the paramedics arrived.
Responding EMS personnel brought EJ to Bamberg-Barnwell Emergency Medical Center in Denmark as they were unable to transport him to the familiar facility of MUSC.
“They said he wasn't stable enough to go to MUSC, but I already know that he passed in my arms,” said Walker.
Since her son’s passing, Walker has not heard from Walmart associates or Barnwell EMS individuals, and said she has not received requested incident reports.
In the past two months, Walker has been working to implement ‘EJ’s Law.’
“Walmart does not have a defibrillator, which could have possibly helped save him, but they're not required to have it,” said Walker. “For them to have a defibrillator, someone on that staff has to be CPR certified.”
EJ’s Law would require Walmart and stores of the like to have a defibrillator in the building in case of emergency situations like this.
Walker is currently working alongside her son’s nurses and the Emerson Rose Heart Foundation, an organization working to change the future for those affected by congenital heart defects, to implement EJ’s Law.
“He loved whistling,” said Walker.
EJ started whistling at the age of two, and carried a tune until his death at age seven.
“I know how to whistle, but I wasn't whistling much around him,” she said. “Everybody was shocked because a lot of people don't know how to whistle, and he was doing it on his own since he was two and he taught himself.”
According to Walker, EJ was recently promoted to the second grade and was very excited to start a new school year.
“He loved riding his bicycle. Going to his cousin's house, jumping on the trampoline, and playing with anything that made him happy,” said Walker. “He loved playing robots with his cousin.”
EJ’s cousin, Amari, was present when he collapsed in Walmart. Walker worries about her nephew processing EJ’s death.
“My nephew was like his best friend, and he was there when it happened. So, he was taking it hard and I am worried about him because he's not letting it out,” said Walker.
Before the family went to Walmart, they stopped at McDonald’s which was one of EJ’s favorite places.
“For some reason that day, we end up going to McDonald's before we went to Walmart,” said Walker, who explained they usually stopped for food after shopping and not before. “And he was just super excited because they gave him three pieces of cheese instead of one.”
“Before he passed, he did have his Happy Meal. He loved McDonald's,” said Walker. “Getting a Happy Meal was one of his favorite things.”
Walker is a single mother, and is still raising two children while she grieves the loss of her middle son. Her oldest son just turned 16 and her youngest son turned one-year-old on August 7.
Her youngest son was born premature weighing only two pounds, and EJ was very excited to have a little brother.
“He wasn't breathing when he was born. They had to resuscitate him,” said Walker. “He was in Augusta for three and a half months.”
Walker described EJ as outgoing, happy, and loved by anyone who met him. She said he never let his sickness get the best of him.
“He was very happy, and he was loved,” said Walker.
“It's hard on me because I'm used to being with him 24/7,” said Walker. “I was the only one there and it’s hard because I'm used to being there with him.”
Walker has not been looking for community aid since EJ’s passing. She would like her son to be remembered as an outgoing child who loved to love, and found happiness in everything.
Services for EJ were held by Legacy Funeral Home in Estill.
