Happy Father’s Day! Our Forever Moriah dads mean the world to us. Oftentimes, they are the ones supporting their family so their wives can be in the hospital with their child.
Since we usually hear from the moms in our articles, we decided to interview a couple dads for this week’s Father’s Day article. You may know of them already. One father, Darion Robinson, fills us in on how he and his family plan to celebrate their first Father’s Day without Skylan, DIPG fighter. Another father, Mario Richardson, talks about his favorite part of fatherhood and his biggest advice to bereaved fathers.
Darion Robinson (Skylan's Step-Father)
Tell me a little bit about your children and stepchildren. How do they get along?
Shaniyah (“Niyah”) is 8 years old, and Skylan was 5 years old when she recently passed away. I’ve been in their lives since they were 5 and 3, and I loved every moment of it. Our son, Sekai, was born a week before Skylan passed away, so he’s been with us for four months now. Niyah never lets him out of her sight! She loves having him around. Skylan also enjoyed loving on Sekai as much as she could. Sekai helped all of us to take our mind off the grief and to ease the stress. We miss Skylan every moment of the day, but we try to make the best out of it.
What is your favorite part of fatherhood?
My favorite part of fatherhood is seeing my kids smile and always making sure I keep a smile on their face.
What do you like to do most with your kids?
I love having them all together at once and just hanging out as a family.
What do you want for Father's Day this year?
This year, I just want to enjoy the moment and the time I have to celebrate with my family. There is never a dull moment with them. Being away for just five minutes is hard for me because I always want to be near them. This Father’s Day will be both hard and exciting. It’s our first one without Skylan but with Sekai. We try not to look on the past too much and just be hopeful of what’s coming.
Mario Richardson (Co-Founder of Forever Moriah Foundation)
How old are your kids now?
Faith is 5 years old and Josiah is 6. Moriah would’ve been 13 now.
What was Father's Day like when Moriah was going through treatment?
We spent them all in the hospital. It almost felt like any other day; I was just happy to be by her side. We would play games and enjoy fellowship with one another. I wouldn’t have left the hospital even if I could because I just wanted to be right by her side.
What is your favorite part of Fatherhood?
My favorite part of fatherhood is the joy I receive from making my children happy. Being able to be a role model to my son and daughter is so important to me because it is something I never had as a child. I love having the opportunity as a dad to be fully present and attentive to my kids’ wants and needs.
What do you like to do most with your kids?
Faith loves jigsaw puzzles and playing with L.O.L. dolls. Her and Josiah both love to color and draw, so we enjoy doing that together. Josiah likes to ride his bike and play sports and video games. He loves basketball, and our favorite video game to play is Crash Bandicout. We spend a lot of time outside taking walks and playing in the backyard. There are so many things I love doing with them but spending time is the most important to me.
What do you want for Father's Day this year?
I want to celebrate the day in the presence of family and simply love on one another. To me, Father’s Day is every day when you’re present in your child’s life.
What advice do you have for any other bereaved dads on this holiday?
You don’t get over it, you get through it. Take it one day at a time. It’s okay to not be okay but it’s not okay to stay there. Stay strong and know that grief puts on a new face each day. Even through Moriah’s struggles, she still had a smile on her face. When you’re struggling, you can still get through it.
Written by,
Lexi M.