Short moments lead to lifetime legacy: Meet The Woodlands Lighting Luminary family

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas -- Parker Belcher was with his family for just six hours and 20 minutes, but his presence lives on through the goodwill of his parents and siblings.

That's why the Belcher family of Montgomery is the 2017 "Market Street in Lights" Lighting Luminaries. On Thursday Nov. 16, they will flip the switch that lights up Market Street's 70-foot Christmas tree in The Woodlands.

"We feel like Parker always has his little hand in everything," said Parker's mother Kristen.

When Kristen was 32-weeks pregnant, she and her husband Zach learned Parker had multiple heart defects.

"Everything had been normal up until that point," Kristen said. "The doctors tried to come up with plans to help him, but by the end, we knew he had digressed. They didn't know how long he would live after he was born. It was six hours and 20 minutes, which was a miracle in itself. The day was planned out beautifully and was a real tribute and honor to him. It was a celebration of him."

Parker was born in March 2015 at the Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women in Houston.

The support the Belcher family received is what motivates them to give back to families.

When Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands recently opened, the Belcher family hosted a "Blankets and Book Drive."

Every December, they host a toy and stocking drive for patients at Texas Children’s Hospital Main Campus, as well as gather helpful items for expecting mothers and their babies at the Pavilion for Women. They plan to host a similar event for The Woodlands campus each April.

After Hurricane Harvey, the Belchers reached out to the community to collect personal hygiene items to create care kits that were subsequently donated to Oak Ridge Baptist Church and distributed throughout the region.

The Belchers were nominated as a Lighting Luminary by family friend Sarah Trout.

"We had no idea we were even nominated," said Kristen, assistant principal at Conroe ISD's Lamar Elementary School.

The family will light up Market Street's traditional tree together, with 4-year-old Chance and 10-year-old Addison leading the way.

"Addison is always proud of Parker," said Kristen of Addison, who was 7 when Parker was born. "This is another thing that makes her proud. She always says 'God chose me to be his big sister, and I need to honor that'."

Want to go? Support the Belcher family at the annual Market Street in Lights.