ROANOKE, Va. – Smiling through the tears, Macy Ware, Whitney Blaszak and her 9-year-old daughter Taylor Blaszak remember one little girl’s big legacy.
“Today is a tough day,” said Ware. “She will really be missed. This is really hard.”
11-year-old Meg Burrow loved bows, puppies, and baby dolls. And she was loved by a lot of people.
“We met Meg when Taylor was classmates with her in 2nd grade and they just became fast friends,” said Whitney Blaszak, a Burrow family friend. “She was the bravest, strongest, little girl I’ve ever met.”
Meg was diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic disorder, CTBP1. Over the years, she faced countless surgeries, doctor’s appointments and hospital visits. Meg’s family and friends say she faced each obstacle and climbed each mountain with a smile on her face. That’s why her family started the hashtag: #MountainsforMeg.
This past week, her health took a sudden turn. Early Thursday morning, Meg passed away surrounded by family.
“Meg climbed her mountains and fought until her very last breath,” said Macy Ware, the program director for Children’s Miracle Network of Southwest Virginia. “I know there’s a lot of very, very sad, devastated people in Roanoke, Virginia today.”
Ware met Meg through the Children’s Miracle Network. The Burrow family are long-time advocates, helping raise money for countless other kids in need at Carilion Children’s and across the country.
“We treat over 90,000 children per year here at Carilion Children’s. And Meg just turned 11, so the math is pretty immense there,” said Ware. “She has touched so many people.”
A little girl who’s touched countless lives and whose own life will live on.
“I like to think that now she has reached the top of the mountain,” said Whitney. “She’s healed and she’s well and she’s finally made it to the top.”
Blaszak decided to start a GoFundMe to help out the Burrow family. In less than two days, it surpassed the original goal, raising more than $32,000.