Jaxson is 10 months old and will never know his mother. He's too young to remember the fall that took her life. Jessica Perez, 34, of Stamford, was at the city train station with Jaxson in his stroller last Tuesday afternoon when they fell from the platform onto the tracks. The single mom was rushed to Stamford Hospital with serious injuries and died a few days later.

“Jessica was very full of life. She was always like the brightest person in the room,” said her sister, Jennifer Perez. “I feel like everybody in Stamford knew who she was. Everybody had a story about her.”

Jessica Perez grew up in Newtown and Stamford. She graduated from Westhill High School and then Lincoln Technical Institute with a degree in nursing.

Her younger siblings, Jennifer Perez and Ted Perez, met up with News 12 Tuesday at Barrett Park in Stamford—a place their sister often brought Jaxson and his 9-year-old brother, Jayden. This time they were the ones pushing Jaxson in his stroller.  

“He has a little black eye and a little bump on his head,” Ted Perez said as he pointed out the injuries, but he noted Jaxson wasn’t badly hurt. “What a miracle.”

MTA police are investigating how and why Jessica Perez fell. MTA officials said there were no nearby trains in motion at the time. The crew of a train that was already fully stopped at the station saw the incident and immediately contacted emergency services. They told News 12 foul play is not suspected. The office of the chief medical examiner is still working to determine her cause and manner of death.

“It’s heartbreaking. There’s really no other word for it. It almost feels like you’re in a state of shock, and I don’t know if I’ve really pulled out of it yet. There’s just--it’s like this feeling of emptiness that you know you can’t fill again,” said Jennifer Perez.

But she said she and the rest of the family are staying strong for her nephews, especially Jayden, who knows his mother isn't coming back.

“At the end of the day, I keep going because I don’t want Jayden to see us being really sad. He’s very impressionable and very young, and he’s definitely reacting to our responses on the situation,” Jennifer Perez told News 12.

Jessica Perez’s parents, three siblings, and their significant others will form a big support system and raise the boys together. Ted Perez said the plan is for everyone to move to Boston in the future, where he currently lives. They’ve started a GoFundMe account to raise money for the boys’ care.

“We really just want to put it towards their futures and making sure that they don’t want for anything,” Jennifer Perez told News 12. “Her entire world revolved around her kids.”

She said they’ll make sure Jayden and Jaxson grow up hearing about their mom and being surrounded by her pictures.

“I really just want to thank everyone for their support. It’s been really, really kind. Even if people haven’t donated, we’ve gotten so many words about her and so many people coming to pay their respects,” Jennifer Perez said.

Jessica Perez's legacy will go beyond her children. She was an organ donor, too. Both of her kidneys were successfully transplanted over the weekend, giving two people a new lease on life.