Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant land of Noblesville, Indiana, lived a beautiful girl named Megan. This beautiful girl grew up and attended Noblesville High School. She dreamed of becoming a teacher; and by attending Indiana University, she made this dream come true. She began her teaching career at Hazel Dell Elementary in Noblesville. While teaching, she met a boy and they got married. Though Megan loved teaching, after giving birth to her first child, she decided to become a full-time stay-at-home mom.
I wish I could say this story had a happy ending, but it doesn’t. On July 14, 2008, Megan was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 32 years old and 32 weeks pregnant with her second daughter. At 35 weeks, Megan gave birth to a beautiful daughter. With all the love and support of her family, she began her fight against breast cancer.
Megan lived in Fishers with her husband and children. She was a social person who enjoyed being with friends and family. I always saw her talking and laughing with someone at school. She was also a positive person. She was positive from the beginning that she was going to beat this disease, but one complication after another set back her progress. She spent her final days planning and preparing for her family, friends, and fellow survivors. One month before she passed away, Megan and her husband, Tom, founded the Megan S. Ott Foundation because they knew the emotional and physical anguish of fighting breast cancer. This foundation was envisioned as a way for families to cope while fighting for their lives or their loved ones’ lives. Megan lost her battle to breast cancer on April 24, 2010. This foundation is her legacy to those who love her.
The Megan S. Ott Foundation has two major fund raisers. The one I am going to highlight in this piece is called A Night of Magical Moments. This year will be the 3rd Annual Night of Magical Moments, and it will be held on Saturday, May 11, in the SAHMS Atrium at One America Tower in downtown Indianapolis. The evening will include hors d’oeuvres, dinner, and cocktails throughout the night. Entertainment will be provided by Dave & Rae, and there will be amazing auction items on which to bid. There are a few levels of sponsorship in which one can participate, but the regular tickets are $75 per person. You can go as a group or as an individual. Deadline for an RSVP is April 26.
I went last year for the first time. From start to finish, it was an amazing event. Megan would be so proud to know her foundation has helped so many people. The food was fantastic. The drinks were all included in the price of the ticket. The presentation about Megan and the foundation was priceless. The whole evening was a success. I found out that the foundation raised $85,000 to help other survivors during their fight for survival. To date, the Megan S. Ott Foundation has helped over 130 families.
My memories of Megan come from seeing her at preschool. She wasn’t one to ask for help, but one particular day she needed it. saw her struggling to get the drinks and snacks she was providing for the kids in her daughter’s class into the school while getting her daughter safely across the parking lot. I went up and asked how I could help. I had already dropped my daughter off inside. She told me to grab her daughter’s hand to see her safely to the other side and on the sidewalk. I told her I would take the snacks as it was her job to hold her daughter’s hand and see her safely to her destination. She started to protest but stopped and handed me the snacks. Then she walked her daughter safely inside the school. Even now, though she isn’t physically here with us, she is still seeing that breast cancer survivors safely reach their destination through this foundation. For more information on the foundation or the Night of Magical Moments, go to megansottfoundation.org.
