In May 2016, a very special Music Together® student passed away suddenly. Zaid began attending Music Together classes with his mom, Sarah, at the Osborn in Rye in the Fall of 2014 when he was 9 months old. After the first demo class, he was hooked! He loved his teacher Jean and especially her guitar. Thursday classes were the highlight of his week, and he attended the Intergenerational class (now called Generations) every semester through Spring 2016. Zaid loved greeting and interacting with the residents of the Osborn, and his musical enthusiasm brought joy to them every week. He loved sharing Music Together with his family, through singing along with the CDs in the car, getting his little cousin in Massachusetts involved in her local Music Together chapter, and insisting all visitors form a band with him and his musical instruments every time anyone came over his house. His favorite Music Together song was the "Goodbye Song," and even if he didn't have his guitar handy, he would improvise with a nearby air vent to strum and sing to his audience. Music Together will continue to hold a special place in the hearts of Zaid's parents, and they hope to continue to support Music Together in their community to help other families experience the enrichment and joy that Zaid did through music.
They have launched The Zaido Foundation in Zaid's memory. The foundation's mission is twofold: supporting SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood) as well as bringing Music Together to those who can't afford it. SUDC is the Sudden and Unexpected Death of a Child over the age of twelve months, which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation is conducted. Similar to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), SUDC is a diagnosis of exclusion - given when all known and possible causes of death have been ruled out. SUDC impacts 1 in every 100,000 children over the age of 1, with the majority of cases occurring between the ages of 1 and 4. While this may not seem like very many children, SUDC is still the 5th leading cause of death in toddlers. Presently, SUDC cannot be predicted and/or prevented since its cause is unknown. Researchers are working to identify the cause(s) and risk(s) of SUDC, but SUDC does not receive any federal funding, and this critical research relies solely on private donations. To find out more about SUDC, current research, and how you can help, please visit www.SUDC.org.