The community is coming together to celebrate the life of 20-year-old Katalin Parker.

The Wilmington woman died just days ago in childbirth. But now, an outpouring of love is now surrounding the family and its newborn son.

Parker was the girlfriend of Oscar Martinez, a cook at Flaming Amy's. Their son Benji is healthy and in good condition, but the community says Katalin will be missed.


How to help
Memorial donations can be made to:
Western Prong Baptist Church
167 Peacock Rd.
Whiteville, NC 28472

Port City Community Church
250 Vision Dr.
Wilmington, NC 28403

New Hanover Humane Society
2405 N. 23rd Street
Wilmington, NC 28401

"They tried to do surgery to remove the clot, but that didn't work. They tried a couple other procedures and nothing worked," Melanie Elliott, manager at Flaming Amy's, said. "She did get to see the baby before she passed, but she died a few hours after the delivery."

Social networking helped spread word about the effort to unite behind the family.

"Because we were able to use these social networks, it just spread the message so quickly," Molly Karns, a restaurant employee, said. "It was like six hours and everybody knew. So that is pretty incredible."

Restaurant workers started a trust fund in Katalin Parker's honor, set aside for Benji. All of the net profits and tips from Saturday were put into the trust fund. They've already collected more than $10,000.

"We've decided we needed to do the trust fund for the baby, but we are also doing everything we can to help right now too because we know that he is going to have to be with the baby and won't be able to work for a while," Elliott said.

Those who can are pitching in to give as much as they can.

"[It] makes us feel really good, like we are actually doing something, especially near Christmas," Wilmington resident Caitlin Alberts said.

Flaming Amy's is still collecting donations for the Katalin Parker Memorial Trust Fund.

Funeral services are Tuesday at 2 p.m. and will be held at Andrews Mortuary.