Father’s Day: Celebrating a Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Dad

On Father’s Day, we celebrate and honor our dad’s love, strength, sacrifice and encouragement.  These traits shine even brighter when a father is tackling childhood cancer with his son or daughter.  The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund salutes these brave and courageous fathers; it is a privilege to BE THERE for them and their families.

We asked 13 yr. old Megan, a pediatric cancer patient from the NY/NJ metro area, to tell us about what her dad means to her.

What is the most important lesson your dad has taught you?

Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is never be alone in a room with a boy. But the main lesson he taught me is that I have to push myself. Whether it is in basketball, exercising, or treatment, he tells me not to give up and always push yourself a little more. If I push, I will see that I can do what I put my mind to.

How does your dad make you laugh?

To make me laugh, my dad re-tells the stories that have happened to him or us. My favorite was when we went to a football game and some fans had gotten a little rowdy and my poor dad was the one that got covered with beer. The look on this face was priceless and we couldn’t stop laughing.

What does he do to cheer you up or cheer you on?

To cheer me up, my dad will take me to Buffalo Wild Wings as that is my favorite wing place. Just the two of us, watch a game and eat wings together…..that is our thing.  To cheer me on, he tells me that he is proud and amazed at how well I have been doing throughout treatments. He encourages me to do my part and soon I will be done with all this….he keeps me focused on the end goal.

How are you like your dad and how are you different?

Ways I’m like my dad: We like to watch football and basketball. We love going to the movies. We like to relax and watch TV at the end of the day and weekend. We love going to Ocean City MD and spending time just the four of us (my mom, my dad, my sister, and me).

Ways I’m different: I baby our dogs and like to cuddle with them, my dad likes to play rough with them. I like relaxing in our family room and my dad likes to relax in his bedroom. I do not like to run, he enjoys running. We do not like the same type of music or genres of TV.