A Letter From Eileen Davidson - Fallen Firefighter Michael Davidson's Wife - The All The Stoolies Who Donated To Their Family
A little background so you can appreciate Eilieen’s letter:
We are sadly coming up on the one year anniversary of FDNY firefighter Michael Davison’s death. He died on the job last year, March 23rd and left behind his beautiful wife Eileen and four children, all under the age of 7. Stoolies answered the call, just like Mke did every time the city of New York needed his help, and you all donated over $115,000 to the Davidson family. Yesterday, Eileen and the guys from Engine 69/Ladder 28/Battalion 16 came through the office with this plaque to thank everyone who contributed. They also brought pizza, beer and Jameson, the fancy kind, aged 18 years which I didn’t even know existed because I’m a bum. Jameson Bow Street. It came in a wooden box with a metal sliding door, in a high society bottle. Never knew about it, but Mike’s brother Eric said he only brings the best. I gotta be honest Eric it was completely wasted on us, we would have done shots of turpentine with you guys. Anyway, the best way to say “thank you” to anyone at Barstool is to bring pizza and alcohol. But on top of the plaque and the party, Eileen also brought these two cards, written by her two oldest kids, Brooke and Joey. Eileen took the money we all raised and renovated her home and the kids’ bedrooms, and Brooke and Joey wrote us this note explaining what their favorite part of their new rooms were.
I was trying to be cool drinkin beers and and doing shots with the guys. Firemen are pretty badass dudes. Very tough and very sarcastic. I’m trying to put on a front and pretend I’m those things too, and then she showed me these notes and I was a goddam PUDDLE. I was not prepared for that, and anyone who knows me knows I have NO SHOT when it comes to stuff like this. I’ll cry just even at the thought of something emotional like this.
Fast forward to this morning. I see an email pop up in my inbox. It was from a Yahoo account. So I thought to myself, this is weird, why is a 90 year old emailing me? It wasnt a 90 year old, it just happened to be Eileen Davidson, who inexplicably has a Yahoo email account. It said “A Note Of Thanks,” and I basically was already crying by the time I got to the end of the subject line…
Eleven months ago Kevin blogged about a young fireman from Woodside; a man who gave everything to his city; a man who left behind a wife and four babies who adored him. That man was my husband, Michael Davidson.
I’ll never forget how I felt when I read that post. Kevin’s appeal to all of you — an appeal to help our family — it moved me so deeply. And soon thousands of kind strangers were raising thousands of dollars for us. It felt so surreal. But it was a bright shining light in a world that was at that time enveloped in such darkness.
You know, the truth is Michael would probably be mortified receiving all the praise and love and support he has in the last eleven months. He was a humble man who loved his job and lived with such passion. His passion is what I first fell in love with years ago. He was the type of guy who would give you the shirt off his back without question, without hesitation. He didn’t do it for the notoriety or the glory. He’d do it because he wanted to. He’d do it because it was the right thing to do.
The running joke in our family and circle of friends is that if you received a phone call from Michael or me within the last eight years, you braced yourself for either a pregnancy announcement or a “we’re moving!” announcement. I mean, in our defense, the whole four kids in six years thing kinda shakes everything up a bit…so we had to make moves!
We finally bought our forever home in 2015, an old colonial that we knew was going to be a labor of love. But we were excited. We couldn’t wait to restore this house to its former glory. To see our visions come to life.
Well — we’ve been here three and a half years now: but during that time we had our fourth baby who was born with an uncertain and scary medical condition. Then we faced my breast cancer diagnosis. We were juggling our jobs. We found ourselves trying to keep up in that hamster wheel we all too often find ourselves in — especially here in NY. We had big plans for life, but life just seemed to keep happening in ways we never anticipated. And then it was March 23, 2018. The kids and I kissed Michael goodbye. We told him we loved him. And we never got to see him again.
If I could put into words how proud I am of Michael not only for what and who he served, but also for how he provided for and cared for and hustled for us, this would be the place to do it. But I can’t seem to find the right words. And so all I can do is thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for what you did for us — for honoring Michael in such a way. Because of your kindness and generosity, I was able to fix things in our home that worried Michael and me. I was able to make sure our home was safe and functional in ways that it wasn’t before. I was able to give the kids fun, new spaces in their bedrooms. And I will be able to continue to fix things throughout the home this year. I can rest a little easier at night knowing that my home is going to be safe for years to come, as I continue to raise our babies the way Michael and I would have together.
So, Kevin, Stoolies: please know that you gave a great man — a man who lived for his family — an incredible gift that would bring him to tears. Please continue to honor and respect and remember our Michael. Please, always remember what all of our first responders do for us — and the sacrifices that their families make too. The commitment, the passion, the selflessness and the dedication: this is what will forever define Michael’s legacy, and, although it is a heavy honor to bear, my children will always know their daddy was an incredible hero.
With Love & Appreciation,
Eileen Davidson
You really should read the whole letter because its very heartfelt and sweet but I highlighted a couple sentences to make sure you noticed a couple things. Eileen just kind of glossed over them with a couple quick lines because shes a badass boss who probably doesnt dwell on things and she just keeps handling whatever life throws at her, but I hope you appreciate everything she laid out. While juggling 4 kids, one of which had a mystery illness with her lungs, she faced a breast cancer diagnosis. Michael had taken off from work for months to stay at home to help with his sick baby, raise his 3 other children under the age of 7, and support his wife with breast cancer. And he had only been back on the job one week when they got that call for the fire up in Harlem. One week, man. The timing of everything is so heartbreaking. And the laundry list of traumatic experiences the Davidson family faced and currently face is simply staggering. Just one of those things – a sick child, a mom with cancer, the tragic loss of a father – would be enough to break the spirit of the average family. But the Davidson’s arent your average family. Mike wasnt your average father or husband. Eileen isnt your average school teacher. They are, simply put, two of the most admirable parents youre gonna find in this city. That you’ll find anywhere. They make you realize you’re petty problems really aint shit. They make you realize that the human spirit is capable of overcoming almost anything when you band together and love each other. And they remind you to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you because you never know what life is gonna throw your way.
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I’m happy to report that Eileen has been cancer free for a year now, and that their little baby had a miraculous turnaround the day after the funeral. Doctors were stunned. I told Eileen, Mike got up there and cashed in his first favor. Sat down at the Pearly Gates like, “alright listen up MFer…heres how its gonna go. You already took me. You threw my wife a serious curveball, the least you can do here is help my baby out.” That was just the kinda guy Mike was. He just got the job done, no matter what the cost. And I say all this without really knowing. Technically I didnt know Mike Davidson. But he used to manage Rathbones and met the love of his life at an Upper East Side bar. They spent their summers in a Hamptons share house, probably hanging out on Dune lane during the day and hitting the Drift at night. I didnt know Mike, but I did know Mike. All of us who lived that life around these parts knew Mike. We knew he was the kinda guy that got up to heaven and did what he needed to do to make sure his baby was healthy.
And everyone else down here who donated was doing what they needed to do to help take care of everyone else in his family. His brother, Eric, and his FDNY brother, Joey, joined us on radio yesterday afternoon to offer thanks to anyone who has helped contribute:
So thank you to anyone who helped out – because of you Joey has a new loft bed with a desk, Brooke has a brand new closet (we all know how much girls love their closets), and we all helped alleviate a little bit of Eileen’s stress of owning a home and raising those kids by herself. Thanks to everybody who donated and thanks to the FDNY for everything they do. Rest In Peace, Mike and just know that as long as there are Stoolies out there, there’s a whole community of people looking out for your girl and your kids.