Heather Skillings Higginbotham
Memorial Endowment
A life spent living with cystic fibrosis didn’t slow Heather down by a second! And although she is no longer physically with us, Heather’s endowment continues her legacy by helping others live with (and one day cure or prevent) cystic fibrosis.
What is Cystic Fibrosis?
The origins of this gene mutation are not known, but the mythology is that it came from people who successfully survived the Black Plague in Europe in the middle ages. CF is a progressive degenerative disorder that affects the lungs, pancreas and other organs. There are only about 30,000 people with CF in the US and more than double that worldwide. Since there are so few people with this disorder, CF did not get much research attention until a group of CF families decided to raise money for research to cure CF and save their children. Through its venture philanthropy model, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation provides early stage funding to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to develop breakthrough drugs for cystic fibrosis. This research focus has increased the life expectancy of a child with CF from 10 to nearly 40 over the last 60 years. There are many new breakthrough drugs and treatments in the pipeline that have the possibility to finally cure this devastating disease.
Endowment Beneficiaries
25% to Roswell United Methodist Church (“RUMC”) Worship Arts ministry, specifically for the choirs, hand bells, special musical programs, and the Acting Up theater programs
25% to RUMC general purposes
50% to the Reaching Out Foundation for the benefit of families with cystic fibrosis.
Heather’s Journey
Heather had the advantage that her parents, Babs and Shaw, had the financial capability to provide whatever treatment Heather needed. Babs was a Registered Nurse and was the primary caregiver until Heather married Jerry. As Heather’s lung function decreased to low levels, there was the option for a double lung transplant. Heather decided she did not want to “change one set of problems to a different set of problems” in her words.
When Heather was in the Emory Cystic Fibrosis Hospital in Atlanta, she saw lots of other kids and young adults who had health as well as financial problems as a result of the high cost of all the necessary drugs and treatments. She always wanted to help the others with CF and discovered the Cystic Fibrosis Reaching Out Foundation created by Susan Burroughs, a fellow Cystic Fibrosis patient. Susan has had a double lung transplant and a kidney transplant and is nearly 60 years old. The Cystic Fibrosis-Reaching Out Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial and educational assistance to patients and families with cystic fibrosis. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is focused on research to treat and cure Cystic Fibrosis while the all volunteer Reaching Out Foundation helps CF families deal with real life problems like mortgages, insurance and drug costs.
Heather wanted to leave a legacy to support others with Cystic Fibrosis. Babs and Shaw support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Heather supports Reaching Out Foundation through this endowment. She’d be really pleased and proud of this legacy for others with Cystic Fibrosis.
Heather was born on February 15, 1970. Shortly after her 2nd birthday, she was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.
High School Graduation
She joined the Kappa Delta sorority during her Freshman year at University of Mississippi.
Graduation from Ole Miss, - BA in Elementary Education
In 2007, the Kappa Delta sisters held a reunion along with husbands and children. It was in July 2007. Heather passed the following November.
She loved teaching! Here featured in an inner city Memphis, TN Kindergarten class.
Children brought her so much joy. Although her teaching career was short due to her health, she enjoyed every minute with these children. Halloween was Heather's favorite holiday with the children.
Jerry and Heather married on October 3, 1998
Frequently through the day, she had to do breathing treatments. Here she is getting ready for her wedding to Jerry Higginbotham on October 3, 1998.
Making memories with family were a priority. every memory and every moment treasured. Here she is with her parents, Shaw and Babs Skillings, and her husband Jerry in Bermuda. - Circa, 2002
There were many events that helped raised funds for Cystic Fibrosis. Here is one of the events at Zoo Atlanta.
A marble marker on the 8th hole of Brookfield Country Club where Jerry and Shaw both play golf. The marker was placed there by their golfing friends.
Featured here with her husband, Jerry Higginbotham.
