About a month ago, I posted an entry about the longevity of grief. The number of readers who responded reinforced the wisdom shared by the grieving parents featured in the post. Grief takes a long time. Parents will be sad for a long time. It’s okay for them to be sad a long time, and it’s important for those surrounding parents to support them throughout the process. Nancy Guthrie Nancy...

Talking to parents who have lost a child isn’t easy. It’s about the hardest thing about working with families of children with special needs. Because many of those children are medically fragile. Many of them will die young, too young. The Unknowing Friend’s Take Those of us who have never lost a child share some misconceptions about grieving the loss of a child: We think it’s...

Way back in April, I posted a blog series about Kurt and Joy Owens and their ministry, Snuggles for Sam. The ministry is in memory of their baby boy, Sam, who died of a serious heart condition in early 2010. I keep up with their family and their ministry by subscribing to their Caring Bridge page. My Africa Last spring was a season of deep grief for Joy. Many of us ached and prayed for her as she...

If Evan Newport’s name rings a bell for you, maybe it’s because part of his story was told in A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children. Or maybe it’s because you read about his death in November of 2009, when he gave up his seven year battle caused by Noonan’s Syndrome. Or maybe you watched the incredible video, All Around...

Who would think cancer could take the life of a three-year-old boy in eight weeks? Cole’s parents, Aaron and Moireen Ruotsala, certainly didn’t think it would happen to their sweet, blond-haired boy, but it did. Adreno-Cortical Carcinoma On July 24, 2008, Cole was diagnosed with adreno-cortical carcinoma. It’s a rare cancer (1-2 people per million) that originates in the adrenal...

Now and then, the comments parents leave at www.DifferentDream.com remind me of the work of our redeeming God in the midst of our children’s struggles. The comments Joy Owens leaves are like that. Her messages led to emails and eventually a phone call where she shared the story of their precious baby boy. Meet Baby Sam Owens Little Sam was born on November 18, 2009. His parents, Kurt and Joy,...

When you hear that a child has died, what should you say? Just as important, what shouldn’t you say? Every word counts at such an emotionally charged time, and we would all do well to think and pray before speaking to grieving parents and families. Words of Comfort for Times of Loss You can find answers and guidance in a new book by Cec Murphey and Liz Allison, Words of Comfort in Times of Loss....

Not too long ago, I shared with you about the death of Evan Newport, a little boy with Noonan’s Syndrome. When Evan was born, doctors told his parents, Scott and Penni, not to expect their baby to live more than a year. But the amazing little boy survived longer than anyone expected. Evan Lessons In seven short years of grace, Evan taught his family and all who met him many important lessons....

A few months ago, I posted an update about Evan Newport, a little boy featured in A Different Dream for My Child. The blog post told about Evan taking part in the festivities surrounding the Big House/Big Heart Run in Ann Arbor, Michigan this past October. Now it’s time for another update on Evan and his family. Early Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving, a brief email arrived from Evan’s...

For parents with a prenatal diagnosis indicating a fatal birth defect, there are dozens of questions and no easy answers. If your unborn baby has received such news, I am so sorry. I have no answers for you, but hope this post and video will help your family in the difficult days ahead. Trisomy 13 The video, posted on the Dallas Morning News website, was created with the Laux family’s permission, ...