Please Share: My Dearest Community,
As I sit to write this message, the tears that streak my cheeks are a testament to the love and pain interwoven in the fabric of a father's heart. This week marks six years—each day, each moment since then, has been a step in a journey I never expected to take. On November 3rd, 2017, Elijah-Alavi, my precious son, was taken from us. The loss is immeasurable, a chasm that can never be bridged. It has been six years since his laughter was stolen by a silence that no parent should ever have to endure.
That day, a day like any other, turned into a nightmare when a NYC Harlem daycare educator made a mistake—one that can never be undone. A grilled cheese sandwich, so innocuous to many, was the catalyst for a tragic chain of events. The action plan that was our fortress, our trust in those charged with his care, was breached, and the unthinkable happened.
In the cold clarity of a hospital room, amidst the beeps and hums of machines, multiple doses of epinephrine were administered—a desperate bid to save my boy. It is a medicine that carries the hope of life for many, but for Elijah, that hope dimmed and flickered out despite the relentless efforts of the medical team. The epinephrine, his would-be savior, could not bring him back to us.
I am crying as I write this because it's a message that must travel beyond the confines of our community, beyond the reach of my voice—it must be heard far and wide. Elijah’s story is a beacon, a warning, a plea. An agony we bear as parents—a mother and father bound together in sorrow and purpose. Sebastin, Elijah's brother, is growing up in the shadow of what should have been—the dynamic duo, is now a solo act. His questions, his longing, his innocence forever altered—this is the reality that propels us forward.
From the depths of our grief, the Elijah-Alavi Foundation was born. It is more than a nonprofit; it is a movement, a commitment, and a promise to my son that his passing will be the catalyst for change. Through tears and turmoil, we advocate, we educate, and we fight for Elijah’s Law, a safeguard for the future of other precious lives.
This Friday, November 3rd, 2023, marks six years since we had to say goodbye. I ask you, with a heart heavy with sorrow and eyes blurred by tears, to pause with us. Light a candle, hold a white carnation, and send a prayer into the cosmos—not just for Elijah, but for the collective strength to ensure no other child suffers as he did.
Share this message, carry his story with you, and help us amplify the mission of the Elijah-Alavi Foundation. Let's ensure the world hears of the boy who inspires us to fight for safety, awareness, and love—a boy whose legacy is written in every effort to protect another's life.
With a love that knows no end and a resolve that cannot be shaken,
A grieving dad,
Thomas Silvera
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