When Life Changed Forever — Remembering Dylan Robert McEwen

My son, Dylan Robert, was born on November 2, 2010, at 38 weeks and was a happy and healthy baby boy. I had the pleasure of spending those first months of his life doing all the things new mothers do. I returned to work and put Dylan in daycare for a few days a week. The second week I was faced with police at my door (I worked from home) telling me there was an emergency at the daycare and that I needed to come to the hospital immediately. We drove a few blocks before I started to realize what might be happening. As a single mom, I frantically called other family members to meet me there. After spending 15 minutes at the hospital, in a separate room with only a police officer I knew.

And life changed forever……

You’re given the pamphlets, I’d taken Parenting 101, a neighbor recommended the home daycare and she knew CPR but on the 3rd day, the unthinkable happened.

In February 2011, Dylan passed away unexpectedly just shy of 4 months old due to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Dylan would be 7 years old this year and should be doing all the things 7-year old’s do; school, making friends, becoming his own little person, learning life, sports, etc.

But that will never be…

Dylan was a ray of sunshine and source of joy to every life he touched. For those who may not be familiar, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old.

I still ask myself how could this happen; to him, to me, to all those that came to love him in such a brief period of time.

There were a handful of people and some organizations that helped me understand what happened and helped me get through that first year, First Candle being one of them.

On October 21, 2017, my sister and niece (Kathy and Cassie McEwen-Sosnovich) will be running the Lake Powell Half Marathon in Arizona. This will be their first half marathon and they will be running in honor of Dylan.

Funds raised through this page and other events will be donated to First Candle whose mission is the elimination of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and preventable Stillbirths through education and research while providing support for grieving families who have suffered a loss.

I love him and I miss him every day. To make a contribution to Dollars for Dylan, please click here.

– The McEwen Family

We offer a special thank you to the McEwen Family for sharing their story. To learn more about First Candle’s Legacy Program, click here.