My daughter, Susan was pregnant with identical twins Megan and Emily. Through a difficult pregnancy that included 6 months of bed rest and constant monitoring the twins were born in September 2006. As any grandparent or parent knows the birth and growth of a child is always miraculous.
At seven months of age, the happy and healthy girls were fed at lunchtime and laid down for a nap. Megan never woke up.
The events that followed were surreal. The rush to the hospital, the search for answers, the heart wrenching pain was incomprehensible.
As a family, we sat for hours at the hospital holding Megan. As I watched my daughter rock her lifeless daughter, she look at me and asked, “Dad, can’t you fix this? You’ve always been able to fix things for me.” As a father, who could kiss a skinned knee to make the pain disappear or comfort a daughter with a bad dream with a hug, I realized how helpless I was. There was nothing I could do to ease this pain. I vowed to find a way to make it better as I once did with a simple hug and kiss.
As months passed the feelings of helplessness and grief evolved into feelings or remembrance and action. The Megan Cajigas Education Foundation was created to memorialize Megan’s short life, to honor and aid all children in their quest for their place in the world. It is my hope that, by remembering Megan, children of our community will be enriched for life and a “Father’s Promise” will be fulfilled.
Signed,
A Loving Dad & Papa