By RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
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The “Miles for Mason Memorial Ride” took place on Saturday at Kiwanis Park in Hays. Organized by the Mason’s Mourning Light Foundation, the event was hosted by Brandon and Kayla Taylor in honor of their late son Mason, who passed away in June 2021.
For Kayla, who is the co-founder and board president of the foundation, hosting the event is more than part of the healing process, it also gives back and helps other families who have faced similar challenges related to the loss of a child.
“We lost our first son at 33 weeks gestation, and HaysMed did wonderful,” she said. “Once we left, there wasn’t a lot of support and we just felt like after discharge from the hospital, we kind of just existed. So, we wanted to give people something more tactile they could have, and on his first birthday, we donated a few boxes to the hospital for other people who have lost a child. For his second birthday, we decided to file and send comfort packages to people’s homes.”
The memorial ride is the first of multiple events she and her husband have organized around the community.
“We did a Bowling BINGO fundraiser last October and we’re going to do that again on Nov. 16 of this year,” Kayla said. “This event is particularly aimed at the dads. A lot of people ride bikes but a lot of the dads ride bikes, and so we wanted to do something that gave back to that population, especially because of my husband. I felt everyone was more worried about me and he had to hold everything together. So, we wanted to make sure that we included dads and siblings and kind of everyone as much as possible.”
The Taylors’ decision to share Mason’s story and give back to the community has been met with a positive response along with gratitude from couples that have experienced tragedies like them, in addition to them sending contributions to the foundation.
“We’ve had a lot of people who have sent boxes, gone on Facebook and mentioned us, or sent us a card saying that it’s really helped,” she said. “Getting that box really brought them something they didn’t know they needed.”
The main component of the event, the bike ride, was led by Brandon and followed a route along the Smoky Valley Scenic Byway across Ellis and Trego County.
“It has helped a lot with the healing process for Kayla and me,” Brandon said. “We’ve had a lot of messages from families saying how much it helped them and it really feels like we make a difference in people’s lives.”
As a father and motorcycle enthusiast, leading a ride in his son’s memory provides Brandon with a sense of comfort and reward.
“I always enjoy motorcycle rides,” he said. “Anybody who rides will go to any event like this just to get out there and help support any cause. This was the first time we did a ride trying to get people involved and I think it was a decent turnout for it was.”
By hosting this event and continuing activities through the Memorial Foundation, Brandon and Kayla strive to spread Mason’s memory by helping families and sharing their story of recovery.
“We’re hoping that since he didn’t actually have a chance here in this life, we’re trying to use his memory of what we had to try and help other grieving families move forward,” they said. “So, in any way, we can help support, whether it’s the mother or the father or the family grieve through the process.”
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