Herriman City declares day in honor of Mitchell Jones


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HERRIMAN — The Herriman City Council gave a special honor Thursday night to a young citizen who recently lost his battle with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Mitchell Jones, 11, passed away on March 2. But even with his passing, his story continues to touch the lives of many people.

"It's so ironic to me that a boy with a malfunctioning heart could fill so many hearts with so much love," said Chris Jones, Mitchell's father.

One of Mitchell's followers asked the city council to designate the day in his honor. Thursday night, during their city council meeting, Herriman city leaders did just that, naming April 29th, 2013 as "Mitchell Jones Day."

"I think it means remembering Mitchy's story and journey and everything it's taught us," Natalie Jones said.

A Facebook page setup last year in Mitchell's name now has more than 80,000 followers from all over the world. Since their son's death, Mitchell's parents have received letter after letter, every day, from complete strangers.

"It's still hard, but we're trying to make something positive out of this tragedy," Natalie Jones said.

As for Mitchell's followers from around the world, many have found the positive.

"They just mention, ‘we came across your journey and it's changed how we see life and how we focus on our family and how we value time,'" Chris Jones said.

Now, with each stuffed animal, trinket and note those followers send, Chris and Natalie Jones will see how their boy with a weak heart became so strong in many others'.

Chris Jones said he is now working to set up a foundation in Mitchell's name.

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Devon Dolan

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