In memory of Miya: the Govenders' mission to help sick babies
AFTER the heart-breaking loss of their daughter, Therosha and Eren Govender founded the MEG Foundation to support families in need of medical assistance for their sick children
The MEG Foundation (NPO) assists babies who are in urgent need of basic health care, where their parents are unable to provide for them.
Miya’s mother, Therosha, 38, a teacher, said the foundation was started to tell the history of their daughter’s condition.
“The MEG Foundation was established in memory of our precious baby girl, Miya Emma Govender. Miya was born with a rare genetic condition that had neurological implications, impairing her ability to effectively breathe without the assistance of a trachea tube. As a result, Miya required 24/7 monitoring and care.
“Our angel faced many challenges, and as parents, it was gut wrenching and often unbearable to witness. We were not only faced with the heartache of Miya’s condition but were burdened with the huge cost of her treatment and our journey and through those angels, our burden was made a little lighter.
“We were able to focus all our attention on our baby girl. We will forever be grateful to those individuals,” she said.
Sadly, Miya passed away on November 23, last year.
“On that day I felt a part of my soul leave my body. But she left behind something special – a legacy of fight and resilience which I had never seen before in any human. This legacy will continue to live through the MEG Foundation. The foundation will honour her jovial and resilient spirit in the face of so much adversity,” said Therosha.
Through losing her daughter, Therosha said she witnessed the obstacles parents faced with sick children.
This, she said, planted the seed for the foundation.
“Though we were fortunate to have had medical assistance, we were still burdened with additional expenses. There are parents out there who don’t have access to basic essentials, essentials that help keep their babies well. Sadly, these necessities are often not available through the public health care system. This is a situation that no parent or child should have to be in,” she said.
Therosha runs the foundation with her husband, Eren and father, Dempsey Perumal as directors, along with a team of dedicated volunteers.
The foundation was started this year but only officially launched on June 12 at the Food and Lifestyle Winter Market at Hillary Primary.
“Our mission is to help babies who are in dire need of medical assistance in respect of equipment and other medical consumables.
“We want to help parents who do not have the means and resources to take care of their sick babies. We understand the sometimes impossible situations that parents are faced with, not being able to afford basic essentials to keep their babyies well and this is a situation no parent or child should face,” said Govender.
However, the family is still on their journey of grief.
“We only lost our precious baby girl last year, which was life altering to say the least. It was a gut wrenching experience where I felt a part of my soul leave my body. We face grief every single day. We decided to start this foundation because we want to turn our pain into a purpose.
“Grief is a deeply personal experience and a natural reaction so it’s perfectly okay to experience a range of emotions. There is no right or wrong way to cope with it but we have to keep going and fighting in memory of our precious angel babies. It’s ok to cry, be angry, or feel numb. We have never suppressed our feelings and all parents should never ever feel like they should, no matter what society expects,” said Therosha.
She said the support of others got them through a trying time which was why they wanted to offer the same support to other parents.
“Support groups can be so helpful and there are many available. The MEG foundation also offers support to parents. We know first-hand, the nightmare of losing a child and we are here to offer support for those who need it.
“There are hundreds of babies, just like Miya, facing life altering illnesses and many of these babies don’t have access to basic care. As parents of a sick baby our eyes were opened to the sometimes-impossible circumstances that many children and parents are facing,” she said.
For more information, on the foundation, call Therosha Govender on 072 821 2101.