After waiting the long arrival of their precious daughter Willow, June 8, 2017 was supposed to be a day of joyful celebration for Leslie and Andrew Burman. When their sweet baby was born still that day, their hopes were crushed and their hearts shattered. It wasn't supposed to be that way! How do young parents begin to process something so painful and traumatic? How do they go back to an empty home and try to figure out the way forward? 
"Through it all, though, I felt a sense of calmness and peace. It was out of my hands. There was a bigger plan for our sweet daughter, Willow ..." Leslie
I hope you'll listen as Leslie and I talk about her journey, and shares how GOD  began mending all those broken pieces, giving her a passion to help others and create "Be Like the Willow, a non-profit organization striving to provide comfort through acts of kindness, resources to aid grief and support like-minded charitable organizations."
https://www.belikethewillow.com/

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On this episode, my friend, Dr. Allan MacDonald and I talk about his journey with grief that began on December 31, 2018 when his 26 year old son Josh died after a valiantly fought, odds-defying battle with a congenital medical condition. Allan shares how Josh not only survived the initial heartbreaking medical prognosis, but went on to embrace life with a contagious zeal for living and doing all the things that weren’t supposed to be possible. We discuss the impact that deep trauma left Allan to process and try to navigate after losing not only Josh, but his marriage just a few months later. Even today, Allan sometimes has to contend with grief triggers as he rounds on patients in the same hospital, the same floor, and same room where Josh died in his arms that day in December. Allan’s is also a story of how, in his brokenness, GOD began taking all those shattered pieces and restoring beauty out of the ashes. This is a story of hope!

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For most people, the thought of losing their child is almost more than their hearts can bear, seemingly unsurvivable. Unfortunately for Kendall and Andy Reid, this became a reality in 2017 when their precious 2 day old daughter, Ruby died suddenly in the hospital. Still grieving such a tremendous loss, their lives were once again shattered by the death of their second child, Jack, as a result of stillbirth in 2019. How does a young couple even begin trying to accept and process something so unimaginably painful? How does one maintain their sanity, return to work, and carry on with the routines of daily life? Is it possible for even a good marriage to survive?
In my conversation with Kendall and Andy, we explore these questions and other challenges, as well as how their faith and relationships with JESUS sustained them, held them together, and began a journey of healing that eventually led them to get involved with Ashlie’s Embrace, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing CuddleCots (TM) to U.S. hospitals and medical centers.
https://www.ashliesembrace.org/

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When parents are suddenly stricken by unspeakable trauma, what can they do, to whom can they turn, and how do they continue living with a shattered heart?
For Dave and Laura Diehl, their grief journey began on October 12, 2011 when their 29 year old daughter, Rebecca, lost a battle with life long medical challenges that began at the age of three(3). Learn how Laura and Dave dealt with the pain and navigated questions that challenged their faith while trying to support each other as well as the grief their other children were experiencing.
Finding themselves in the place every parent fears, they talk with me about how GOD began healing very deep wounds, eventually inspiring Laura to author several books to encourage and offer hope to other grieving parents, and to establish GPS Hope (Grieving Parents Sharing Hope), a nonprofit ministry “to walk with you through the suffocating darkness of child loss, guiding you to a place of hope, light, and purpose.” You can also listen to their podcast, Grieving Parents Sharing Hope Podcast, found on all major podcast platforms. Learn more about all of the resources available from their ministry by clicking on their website link found below.
https://www.gpshope.org/

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With no symptoms or warning signs to prepare her for what was to come after an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery, Stacey and her husband Richard's beautiful baby daughter Trinity died shortly after birth in February 2006 leaving them crushed and broken. Doctors could only speculate on the cause, but ultimately it was to remain a mystery. How do young parents process such a traumatic loss and shattered hopes and dreams? As Stacey and I talk about her journey from the unthinkable, she candidly shares the deep impact of grief on everyday life, relationships with others, how GOD healed her broken heart in a very unexpected way and eventually inspired her to author a book about her journey entitled " Losing My Child, Finding My God: From Grief to Belief"  which was published in 2024. This is a story that will inspire hope and encouragement for any parent grieving their own loss.
https://stacywons.com/
Photography by Joanne HoYoung Lee

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By most accounts, March 18, 2023 was just another ordinary day in Abilene, Texas. For Deana Morris and her family it was the day that turned their lives upside down as they discovered their dearly loved 28 year old son Travis had taken his own life. Suicide blindsides loved ones, leaving them with unbearable pain, a lifetime of too many unanswered questions and an additional layer of complication to their already unspeakable grief. Join us as Deana and I talk about her journey over the past several months; discover the importance of having strong community when we’re hit by the storms of life, and how GOD reveals Himself to crushed, brokenhearted people, breathes new life into us, and restores hope, purpose and meaning from the ashes.

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In the U.S., approximately 270 people die of a drug overdose every day based upon May, 2024 statistics. For Kellie Sipos and her family, these statistics became very personal on July 22, 2018 when their precious 24 year old daughter, Emilie, lost her battle with an addiction. Far too many parents have have had their lives shattered as a result of this insidious blight in our nation. Listen as Kellie shares her story, with refreshing authenticity and transparency, about a journey that began with unspeakable, crushing grief resulting in her own personal battle with substance dependency as she tied to deal with the pain.  Kellie shares how GOD met her in some of her darkest moments comforting, healing, and restoring hope, eventually leading Kellie to start My Child Left Home for Heaven, a non-profit whose mission is "serving grieving families through podcasts and support groups, as well as burial/cremation expenses for families in financial need ..." Please visit her website for additional information as well as her podcast by the same name. I believe you'll find hope and encouragement as you listen to today's episode.
https://mychildlefthomeforheaven.org/

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April 7, 2011 was the day Heather and her husband Mac had been anticipating with such excitement for 9 months. It was the day their precious, beautiful son Bowen was born. However, within a few short minutes he was whisked away by medical staff because something was very wrong. A day that was supposed to be filled with celebration, suddenly took a tragic turn as Heather and Mac began learning that Bowen was born with Polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a condition incompatible with life. Join us as Heather shares the story of her journey from Bowen’s terminal diagnosis, his all too brief life, disbelief and heart wrenching pain, to a place of experiencing GOD’s healing and restoration of purpose and meaning through helping other grieving parents, as well as authoring a book entitled: Waiting for Heaven: Finding Beauty in the Pain and the Struggle
Heather’s heartwarming authenticity and transparency offer hope and encouragement to anyone trying to process and navigate the grief of child loss.

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Every 39 minutes of every day, someone in the U.S. dies senselessly at the hands of an intoxicated driver! On January 20, 2015, Yolanda Martinez and her family experienced their worst nightmare when their 14 year old son, David, was killed when their family van was hit by a speeding drunk driver. Although badly injured, their daughter and a niece survived. Listen as "Yolie" and I talk about the trauma of losing her only son that evening, how she and her husband began trying to process the unthinkable, and navigating their grief journey. Yolie's honesty and transparency allow us glimpses into the deep pain and suffering parents experience after the death of a child. I believe you will find encouragement and hope as Yolie shares how GOD continues to heal their deep wounds as He's taking all those shattered pieces of their lives and making something beautiful from them. 

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