A Huntersville family is hopeful despite losing a loved one to a heart defect.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — The Jacobs family is hoping to be a shining light in the community after the loss of one of their loved ones to an undetected heart defect.

At 12 years old, Gabriel Jacobs died while playing basketball in the backyard.

“When this happened, it was as if someone had called Gabriel,” Frank Jacobs recalled. “We were all standing there. He didn’t fall. He just laid down.”

It sent shockwaves through the family.

“When Gabriel died [on] April 9, 2015, I really did feel powerless,” Frank Jr. Jacobs said. “It was a very tough situation, in a sense that there was not much that I could do.”

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