Frankie Edgar had quite a Saturday night at UFC 211, pinning rising star Yair Rodriguez to the canvas and beating him bloody until doctors intervened between the second and third round. But celebration was muted for the New Jersey native. Just days before the fight, Edgar’s teammate Nick Catone suffered the loss of his two year old son.
“I want to send a heartfelt message out to my teammate Nick Catone and his wife Marjorie,” Edgar said after his win. “They woke up and their infant son, little Nicholas, had passed away during the night. Goes to show none of this means shit. I just want to go home and hug my kids. I can’t imagine what they are going through. That was for you.”
Now a GoFundMe has been set up to help the grieving family.
On Thursday May 11, Nick Catone tucked his healthy, beautiful little boy Nicholas in to bed to the sound of him saying ” Goodnight Daddy “. In the morning, Marjorie Catone went to wake the baby who lit up every second of her life- the little light filled spirit who made everything worthwhile. And in that moment, everything shattered. Nicholas simply did not wake up.
In the face of a terrible, tragic loss, there is nothing you can say to ease the despair of a parent who has lost a child. ” I am so sorry ” never feels like enough.
For Nick and Marjorie, and their beloved daughter Madeline, the world has fallen in. Although funeral arrangements are made, many people have asked what they can possibly do to help. As their friend, I have started this Memorial Fund to offset the cost of arrangements that no parent should have to make, and in lieu of flowers, ask you to donate to.
A scholarship for the care and education of Nicholas’s sister Madeline will be founded with any remaining funds.
If you can donate, we’re sure every amount helps. Our condolences to Nick and his family.