Our Story

First you should know a little about Caitlyn, to know the basis for the Caitlyn S. Vincent Foundation is all about. Caitie was a wonderful little girl, or others would say young woman, but as her father I can be partial to the little girl side. She grew up healthy and happy and an all around joy to be with. 

Caitie was one of those kids that would try to be nice to anyone she met, even if it meant going against the grain of popularity. She would try to include those children who were not being included or befriend those kids that appeared to have no friends. Simple gestures like giving away her cookies on the way to school seemed small but greatly impacted those with whom she shared those cookies with. Proud is just to short a word to describe how we felt about her.

Suddenly, on November 20, 2007, Caitlyn passed away from Myocarditis. Myocarditis occurs when a virus attacks the heart, usually resulting in death. She had no major symptoms and everything looked like a minor cold. She had a slight headache on Saturday and mentioned that she was “coming down with something” on Sunday. She left church services early to lay down but felt better after a nap. On Monday morning, she went early to school because she promised a teacher she would help with the morning announcements but was sent home early for not feeling well. After a nap and a shower she appeared to be recovering and we saw that as a good sign, she even rode an exercise bike. Tuesday morning about 4:00 am she woke her mother and said she was very hungry. Again we thought the cold had finished and her body was looking for additional nourishment. Caitie vomited the little bit of food she had eaten. She laid down on the couch and fell asleep. It appeared a nice deep sleep with those little snores a young teenager tends to make and we were confident that the worst of the cold was over.

However, Caitie awoke throwing off her covers and saying she was extremely hot. Her skin felt chilled and she was groggy. We put a call into her pediatrician and were waiting for a call back. Searching the Internet didn’t shine any light on why her skin would be so chilled so I suggested that she take a bath to warm her up. Upon standing she felt dizzy and fell into a nearby chair, then requested that I carry her. I agreed readily and when she was most of the way out of the chair for me to pick her up she passed out into my arms. I gently laid her on the floor, propped her feet up and covered her. Emergency services were called and arrived in no time at all. Caitlyn was put into an ambulance and taken to the hospital. During the ride to the Emergency Room, Caitlyn had a seizure and I arrived at the ER to chest compressions and defibrillator shocks. After heroic efforts by the ER personnel were exhausted my wife and I held each other. She was gone.

We may never realize the possibilities that might have been discovered had her life continued but we can do something with what remains of ours. Through this foundation we hope to emphasize, reward and promote the same qualities that made Caitlyn what she was to other children at that critical age of growing up. We will be awarding the Caitlyn S. Vincent Award to middle school students that have shown similar qualities as well as hosting the Honors Luncheon for teacher nominated students that have taken that extra step in helping their fellow students. Hopefully, with everyone’s help, we can grow to other school throughout the region.

My wife and I would like to thank everyone for his or her help and generosity in making the Caitlyn S. Vincent Foundation possible. Through all of you, we can make a difference in the lives of so many teens during that time in their lives when bullying and cattiness seem to take hold. 

Thank you all,
John Vincent