Support Meri-Margaret Baisley and Her Children

Our whole world was shattered for the 3rd time 3 weeks ago....

My name is Meri-Margaret Baisley and my children are Landen, Lailah, and Michael.

Our family has been through so much with the loss of their bio dad in 2013, their grandma in December of last year, and our rock, Daniel Baisley, 3 weeks ago.

Daniel stepped in to be a father figure in my children's lives 11 years ago. He was an amazing dad to them, and an even better husband to me. He was literally as good as they come, with a heart of gold and such a calm demeanor. He loved with all of his being and we were his proudest accomplishment. All he ever wanted was a family of his own. Always scared to have kids due to his heart condition, he took on the role of dad in 2014 and did a great job! He gave us light in dark times and always stayed calm and rational in any situation. He made us whole again. Throughout the years, we navigated his heart condition the best we could, and in 2018 he got his mechanical valve and we pushed on. That was, until now, the scariest day of our life...

A few months back, he had noticed a bit of swelling in his legs and without hesitation, we rushed to Austin Heart Hospital where his doctors were. Tests showed his heart function was weak. His heart wasn't pushing blood as it should. His congenital heart doctors changed some meds and were confident he would get function back to where it should be. Daniel never complained. You would never have known anything was wrong because that man was happy all the time. His smile was contagious and his thirst for life was strong. I worked the last 5 years multiple jobs so that he could stay home as we waited on disability, that never came. We still pushed on making things work. His favorite thing to say to me was, "We'll figure it out, babe... we always do!" He was right, we always did! Despite everything, we always figured it out...

August 22nd was a normal day. He picked up the kids from work and then waited to get Michael from his football scrimmage. They joked and laughed on the way home about Halloween and the season ahead. He showered and came to bed. Shortly after, he said his chest hurt and to call 911. He would meet me downstairs, as we always waited for EMS together. Little did I know it would be the last time I saw him alive. That night was very traumatic, I'll spare the details, but my children watched the man who had been "Dad" for 11 years die on our living room floor that night.

I tell you this, not for sympathy, but so you can understand our story a bit more. I performed CPR on the man I loved for over 20 minutes. His pulse was weak when they arrived and they did all they could, but his heart just stopped. There was no movement on the ultrasound. The words, "I'm sorry, we've done all we could, he's gone" still echo in my head. Our whole world turned upside down so quickly.

8 months prior, we all watched cancer quickly take his mother. In a lot of ways, we were still going through the grief of losing her.

I have been the sole provider of this family and happily took on that responsibility. However, my whole heart belonged to this man. I've been able to work a little, but some days are so tough I just can't. My kids are helping the best they can, but we all just need a little time. I decided to do this GoFundMe in hopes of relieving some stress so I can help my children navigate the loss of yet another dad, and fully grieve myself. If you know me, you already know I'm a hard worker and doing this fundraiser is difficult for me because I feel in some ways I have failed my family. Please consider helping us. We appreciate anything. I just need to make up for time lost at work and ensure that we can stay here in Texas. We love it here! We thrive here! My kids are involved and working jobs they love. I really feel uprooting us again would be too much mentally for them. Please keep us in your prayers as we learn to live without our person. Thank you.