Hope After Child & Sibling Loss/the empty chair endeavor

In this heartfelt conversation, Christina Schuetz shares her profound journey of grief following the loss of her daughter, Sylvia, who battled congenital heart disease. Christina discusses the impact of this loss on her mental health, including struggles with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. She emphasizes the importance of community, faith, and open communication in navigating grief, and how these...

In this heartfelt conversation, I talk with Felicia Cook, a mother who lost her son Corey to a fentanyl overdose. Felicia shares her journey through grief, the impact of losing a child, and how her faith has helped her navigate this unimaginable pain. She discusses the importance of community support, the complexities of mental health and substance abuse, and her desire to honor Corey by helping o...

On this episode, Cheryl Davis, host of the Time for Mom podcast, shares her story of loss as a young mom whose heart was neither equipped nor prepared to deal with the grief of child loss. Cheryl’s is a story that represents over a million others just like hers every year in the U.S. suffering the death of a child by miscarriage. All too often, we have a tendency to rank or compare grief based on...

 In this episode you’ll hear Shelly Kolwinska share her profound journey of grief following the stillbirth of her daughter, Margaret Rose. In our conversation we discuss the importance of community support for grieving parents and the unique services offered by The Child Loss Foundation. Shelly's personal story intertwines with her professional mission as Director of Child Loss@Work to help o...

Finding anything good in grief might seem impossible for you today, and if so, you’re not alone. Grief often feels like it has taken on a life of its own, and even wants to become your new identity. How can there possibly be anything resembling gold in our grief journey? On this episode you’ll hear a conversation I recently had with Sarah Beth Gerbers about how she began to discover gold on her mu...

They are known as “the forgotten mourners.” On this episode you’ll be hearing a conversation I had with Bobby and Gabby Bisterfeldt, founders of Sibling Lifeline, as we talk about how the death of a child affects surviving children. Both have experienced the tragic loss of two siblings each. As they share their stories, you’ll learn how each tried to process their own pain and grief while attempti...

A phone call on Christmas morning 2020 brought heart shattering news she never could have imagined. On this episode, Mary McNamara talks with me about how one phone call forever altered her life that day. Her beautiful 28 year old son, Zack, had died during the night alone. We talk about the questions such a sudden, unexpected tragedy leaves a parent facing and trying to process. You'll also...

 On this episode, Brad and Jill Sullivan join me to talk about their sweet daughter Hannah, and their grief journey since losing her to a glioblastoma brain tumor in February 2009 after a year long battle. Hannah loved Jesus, and her faith in Him enabled her to not only endure this battle, but to live each day with purpose to honor Him even as she underwent radiation therapy and surgery. Brad shar...

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On this episode, David Corvi and I explore the many facets of how grief after child loss affects men. The impact of such trauma is often overlooked or downplayed with dads, due, in large part, to cultural norms and unrealistic expectations of men in our society. While men and women grieve differently, men do indeed grieve, but the impact is not often visible. Having experienced the unthinkable pai...

Seemingly unpredictable and random, miscarriage loss leaves parents, more especially moms, devastated and brokenhearted. Pregnant yesterday, but suddenly today, no longer. She’s left with countless questions that often have no answers, feelings of guilt that she didn’t do something right, fear that it might happen again, and so much love in her heart that now has no where to go. In this episode, R...

In this episode, Tracy Dailey and I talk about her journey that began without warning on May 30, 2007. Eight months into her pregnancy and only 24 years old, Tracy was told by her doctor, after performing an ultrasound, that her sweet, precious daughter Emma, had no heartbeat. Everything seemed to slip into slow motion, and denial took over temporarily. Prior to the previous day, it had been a pic...

Critically injured by a hit and run driver on 10/5/23, Tommy’s beautiful 23 year old son Nick died from his injuries on October 21, 2023, a day that would forever change Tommy’s life. Parents shouldn’t have to bury their children. Like other dads, Tommy had dreams of seeing Nick discover his purpose in life, possibly get married and have a family of his own, and enjoy activities he and Nick loved...

In this episode, pastoral counselor, author, and Bible teacher, Betty Ringeisen, talks with me about a grief/healing journey that began 20 years ago after miscarriage. Tragically, what lay ahead was unthinkable ... over the course of a few more years, Betty and her husband would experience the life altering loss of four (4) other children by miscarriage. How can a young mom survive, let alone proc...

Have you ever felt utterly alone and helpless when your heart has been shattered  and your world turned upside down? Did the people you thought you could count on let you down? After losing her precious, beautiful 4 month old baby daughter Everly, Martha found herself in a battle with grief that severely challenged her faith as a Christian. At a time when she needed unconditional love, support and...

“After Trinity died, I was barely functional”, is how Richard described himself after he and his wife Stacey lost their precious daughter shortly after being born. Doctors described it as a “medical mystery”. In a previous episode (12/10/24) Stacey shared about her grief and healing journey as Trinity’s mom, and in this episode Richard and I talk about the impact of grief and trauma from a dad’s p...

The unspeakable pain and trauma from losing her beautiful 2 year old son Jamie, left Rachael crushed, broken and rudderless. How does a young mom deal with such tragedy alone? Where does she turn to soothe the pain and find comfort? In the aftermath, Rachael’s life began to take some unfortunate twists and turns and she shares how GOD showed up on that journey and began making something beautiful...

When her eight month old daughter Adalyn died of two congenital medical conditions in May 2017, Heather’s heart was shattered and her life upended with grief. Three short years later, the unimaginable happened when her daughter Maelyn was stillborn in July 2020. How does a parent even begin to comprehend and process such unspeakable trauma? How can a mom navigate such grief and loss while trying t...

"When Nicole went to Heaven, darkness invaded our world, and we wondered if our family would survive the crushing pain of grief."  Kim Peacock  When Kim's daughter Nicole died in a tragic off-roading accident three days after Christmas in 1998, it left her shattered, and her whole world seemed to stop. No parent is ever prepared for such trauma and pain, much less equipped to deal w...

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 empt...

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 t...

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 s...

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...

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 a...

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...