Taj was born June 30th, 2017. Upon birth, he was 26 weeks premature. Taj spent 116 days in the NCIU and endured a series of medical procedures, including an intense eye surgery when he was only 2 days old. His lungs were underdeveloped, but he remained strong until he came home. When he came home, he was able to crawl, talk and meet all the other milestones that would be expected of a baby. Taj became very close to his two brothers and sisters. He loved “Sonic”, the Hedgehog and would always try to be one of the characters in that show. Taj quickly learned how to read and became proficient in reading. His reading level exceeded the typical person’s reading level his age. On February 29th,2024, Taj received the “Tony B Mason” award for reading on a second-grade reading level while only being in kindergarten. He brought an immense amount of joy to everyone that met him.

On March 2nd, 2024, Taj began complaining of pain in his abdomen and was having a hard time breathing. Mom gave him his breathing machine and after a while started CPR as he went unresponsive. Mom continued CPR until paramedics arrived. When the paramedics arrived to take him to the hospital, he had a massive asthma attack. During this process, Taj went almost 45 minutes without oxygen and an hour without a heartbeat. The family was told the very sad news that Taj would not survive after such complications. It is very unlikely to be placed in an unfortunate situation like this. Being forced to bid farewell to a six-year-old child is very devastating. Who would ever think this would be someone’s reality?

It’s not foreign that final arrangements are extremely expensive, especially in a sudden situation as this. As a family, we are asking that you would be generous during this difficult time and assist with some of the financial burden that comes with the journey of finalizing arrangements for Taj.