Our Story
Riley, a.k.a YiYi
Riley was an angel from heaven, my rainbow baby. We had Charlee first and were not sure we would have another, but Charlee kept pushing us for a baby sister. After very little trying, Riley was born. We were all so in love and Charlee was so happy to be a big sister. Riley loved life and everything in it so much. She helped me to see beauty in everything in this world. Her spunky spirit was contagious. She was very sociable, loved new people and she loved all animals, including bugs. Most of all, she loved her family more than anything. Charlee and she would joke that they loved each other more than us, and we were totally ok with that. They had so much love and a sister bond that was so special. They were each other’s favorite people.
Riley loved us all so much. She would tell me often that I was the best mommy in the whole wide world, and we would compare how much we loved each other. To the moon, the sun, the earth… we loved each other as much as possible. I remember holding her in my arms for as long as I could or for as long as she needed me to hold her because I knew she was my last baby, and she would grow too fast. Little did I know her life would be stolen from us at the age of three and a half.
On a beautiful day in October, the weather was finally not too hot, so we all decided to take a bike ride to look at Halloween decorations. Halloween was her favorite holiday, and she loved anything scary. We rode bikes for about 3 hours with some stops for pizza and cupcakes. She fell asleep in the bike seat, and we took her upstairs to nap in her bed. She woke up cranky, so I held her on the sofa for about half an hour, tickling her soft little arms and belly. She was happy after that, and she and Charlee made favorite sister bracelets together. It was the perfect family day, until it wasn’t.
She was happy and playing on the bed by an open window with a screen in place. Within a few seconds, she fell from our fourth-floor bedroom window and our lives were changed forever. We now know the screen was not rated for fall prevention and was damaged and popped out easier than it should have. Riley never woke up from this fall and after two days in the ICU, she lost her life. This tragedy could have been prevented if a window safety device had been in place.
Through this horrific tragedy, we made Riley an organ donor and she has saved at least three lives with her heart, liver and kidneys. We want to help save children's lives as well to honor Riley and her love for life and everyone and everything in it. We do not wish this pain that parents and siblings go through on anyone. That’s why we created this foundation, to help families who have lost their world, as we have. To help prevent accidents like this from happening to other families. To bring awareness to this hidden hazard that tenants don’t think about while renting an apartment. If we can save one life, then we have made a difference. So, we will push forward and keep trying to live the best life we can everyday and to help others who are also going through tragedies like ours.