He was just a little boy from a poor country far away. Most of us could not find it on a map if we tried.
It would have been so easy to dismiss him as just another poor kid in a poor part of the world, so easy to pass him up; so easy to chalk up his struggling existence to the cruel geopolitical world of haves and have-nots, of ancient places lost in time, of we fat Americans complaining that the pizza delivery was late and the remote didn’t work.
Or simply to over look him, this tiny, ravaged kid and say that there is not enough time or money to save him, when it is not just time and money that would have. To say that we have no time for such things, we, caught in the great self pity of the American 21st Century where only our discontent matters, only our distrust, only our hate.
But she made us care, did Maggie Doyne. Took young Ravi into the Nepalese school and community she had created when he was just three months old and suffering in a way that we rarely see in this country, in a way that is so common, she taught us, in the silent corners of the distant world.
Then last night the word comes that Ravi has died, the little boy we hardly knew, but all pulled for. The little boy whose face we had seen change from the skeletal to the fat and round under a mat of curls; the little boy in whose story we found hope.
The grief that has settled over the Blink Now community is made greater by the effort expended to give Ravi a chance, not just to survive, but to live.
It is not love lost.
It is love expanded.
This is how the world changes, one little child at a time; in the blink of an eye, Maggie Doyne would say.
Ravi was welcomed into a place that was carved from nothing but the dream and troubled heart of one young American woman, a place where now two hundred students and their families work to carve out knowledge and support in a place that has no systems for such growth, a place that in a decade has taken children who were breaking rocks along a river bank in order to eat to learning to write and read and use a computer.
Those children are the miracles of the world. How will those children change their world in another decade?
So pray for Ravi, and bless his spirit. Say kind words for those whose hearts are bruised by his death – and let your own heart be bruised, even if for a moment.
Because it is not the snarling politicians who will change the world – they are just fighting over the scraps of the dying regime – it is the children who are pulled from the edge.
The world is changed by those who offer hope to those who have none, by those who give love to those who have not felt love, by those who hold the sick and lame and whisper through tears that it will be all right.
Sometimes the guiding light burns brightly, but briefly.
It leaves a trail.
Follow it.
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quite a story; Maggie is quite a person
Michael,
Thank you for taking time to craft this powerful write up on Ravi. Yes, it is hard to ever forget the hope that Maggie had made so tangible for the world through this baby. Kudos for the beautiful blog.
Thank you. It is and will continue to be an amazing story.
I like reading your web site. Kudos!
thanks very much,
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Seriously….this is a useful site.|
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Dear Michael,
I read this months ago after Ravi’s tragic passing. I still mourn for this little boy I never knew and my heart still aches for Maggie Doyne. But you’re beautiful writing represents every forgotten child in the far corners of the world. Thank you. I hope your piece travels far and wide. Beautifully written and powerful.
Kelly, thanks. I’ve been amazed how many times someone has read the story… over 25,000 by a rough estimate. It really shows that when someone like Maggie has done the right thing and suffers such a setback as Ravi’s death, it strikes everyone’s heart. Thanks again. Mike Daigle
What happend to Ravi? Was it an excident?
They have not said specifically, but it seems to have been. They have not released publically the actual cause, which is their right.
This is such a touching piece and I would love to use sections of your writing in a video tribute I’m creating in Ravi’s memory. I will, of course, attribute the work to you. Is this ok?
Thank you, Suzy. Of course you have my permission. I’m honored that you would ask. Best of luck.
Thanks. I’ll send you the link when I’ve finished it.
Thanks, Should be wonderful. Look forward to it.
Hi Suzy.. I just saw the message you sent last week.about how to credit me on the video ..it did not appear on the blog for some reason… anyway … sorry for this late reply…you could say the excerpts were taken from “Ravi” by Michael Stephen Daigle, at http://www.michaelstephendaigle.com. Thanks and congratulations. the video is vey moving. Mike Daigle
Michael, Thanks so much for writing this beautiful tribute to the amazing Maggie and her beloved son Ravi. I’ve shed many a tear the past few days thinking about this tragic loss – life is so unfair at times. I find comfort in your words and the words of those who are privileged enough to know Maggie. She is an inspiration and my hero.
Best
Alison
Thank you, Alison. This affected so many people. Time to begin healing
God bless Maggie. Ravi is most certainly an angel in heaven, the sweet little baby. I can’t imagine the pain she is enduring, and wish we could all take it away. So sad. Sometimes, life just doesn’t seem fair.
This was so startling. She will need to grieve, but has so much support, she’ll be Ok, but for the moment it is like staring into a black hole. The thousands of people who have responded to this piece are part of her healing network.
I can’t imagine how Maggie will get through the next months,….years. To lose a child is such a devastating life event, that maybe even saving 50 more pales by comparison. This is not her first loss, but surely a most devastating one.
Today, I saw a post from her saying, simply “we are a family”. I pray that she and the rest of his siblings will nurture and support one another, and not shy away from accepting another tiny, needy soul into their family if called upon. Until then they will be in my prayers daily, and surely something good shall be borne from this tragedy.
Sweet Ravi visited Washington DC last spring, while teething. He seemed to be a miracle then, all smiles and drool. I was enchanted. I have always been enchanted by what this miraculous young woman has done for her world. Ravi will be a pain in her heart for a long time, but it is a big heart, and she will find ways to channel that pain, just as she has loved that little boy. blessings to the whole Kopila community, Ravi will live on in spirit forever. Rest in peace little soul. You were greatly loved.
She will get through with the love and support of people like you.
I am an ER nurse from Philadelphia, weeping for a joyful baby in Nepal I have never met, whose story of survival and thriving growth became the story of Kopila Valley. Such a light beloved the world wide Your words are such a perfect tribute as we all struggle to accept his horrific devastating tragedy and try to find any way to support sweet Maggie Doyne. This poignant piece you’ve written is a beginning. Thank you.
Thanks. I’ve known Maggie for a decade and I wrote two stories about here when I as at the Daily Record in Morristown. I followed Ravi’s story with great hope and interest, knowing how much Maggie had invested. The story has garnered over 3000 views in 2 days, so Ravi’s story had meaning for many.
thank you for so beautifully giving voice to our grief
Thanks. I’m so sorry for the loss of Ravi. Judging by the number of views, many, many people were touched by his story.
these words are some of the only ones i have read that make any sense to me at all. i happened to be lucky enough to know ravi in his beautiful precious far too short life. my daughter age 25 helped save ravi’s life just this time last year. we held ravi in nepal in this month last year, and again here in our home just a few short weeks ago. we are shattered and heartbroken, but our is not, and lives on, outward towards all in honor and because of all the ravi’s, their brothers, and sisters, their mothers and fathers in this world. that is all of us, after all. thank you seems wholly inadequate, but nonetheless, i do.
typing too fast… “our love is not, and lives on, outward….” is what i meant to type.
I met Maggie about a decade ago when I was working at the Daily Record. I wrote two stories about her and was amazed to hear the story. The work of others like yourself and your daughter’s is why the effort succeeds. Ravi touched a lot of people. His life was not a loss, but an example of the good that is done by many. The story has received nearly 500 hits today, a reflection on the impact of Blink Now and Ravi’s life. I am so sorry for everyone’s loss.
the impact is huge, and everlasting the good outcomes and the unquantifiable loss, the ripples on and on and on. i worry about maggie, so very much. her heart has been splayed open, broken and crushed in this loss, and though i believe her to be strong and as strong as is required by this, still, she is but a 29 year old young woman who has given her everything every single day every single moment since she was but a child herself. ravi was her heart and its beat the one that defined so much for her. how much can one give and still keep on? my heart struggles with the loss and the unknowing, but of course this is life in all its mess and glory. i remain steadfast and committed in what i can do or give, mostly right now what is needed is love. she has mine and my family’s.
She was deeply attached to Ravi. My first thought was a question to myself about how she would handle his death. But she had many to support her, like yourselves.
Karen, thank you so much for welcoming so many of us to your home to meet Ravi, Maggie and BlinkNow. And Michael, thank you. I was especially struck by your comment about how children like Ravi will grow up to change their world. Karen and I were talking last night about the potential of Maggie’s children to improve the lives of others in a country we love. Thank you for calling attention to the good work of people like Maggie, Karen and her daughter.
In 1999 I wrote a section for the Millennium seriers at the Daily Record about Dover and the mining industry. On book I read for research spoke of how the mine operators had the task of creating society, commerce and order from the chaos of the mining camps, thus leading to the development of towns. Maggie and her school have mirrored that model. From the chaos of Surkiet she has provided a base from which theses kids and their families can create a new standards of living. Those lessons, in many cases for these kids, their first lessons, will be of that effort. Worlds can change through such small steps.
So many people came and cared when we hosted a Nepal fundraiser here in our home. We were all so lucky that Maggie and Ravi, and others from Blinknow and other Nepali organizations could be with us here in Lafayette. There are so many people who care, who are committed to changing the world in the small and big ways that they are able. It helps me to remember this. There are so many many good people in the world. We need only do what we can when we can. That is all we are ever called to do.
Perfectly stated. Thank you for writing.
Thanks. Small life; big story and impact
THANK YOU for this. From the bottom of my bruised heart. ❤️
Thanks…it is so inexplicably sad