Hope After Child & Sibling Loss/the empty chair endeavor

Sometimes, life deals such an unexpected, devastating blow that it leaves us crushed, and afraid that we won't be able to get back up because the pain and trauma cut so deeply. For Rudy Milton, it came on July 19, 2015 when she received the unthinkable news that her only son, Dominique, had been murdered on a public beach on Hilton Head Island, S.C. at only 17 years of age. In an increasingly...

Join us as Dr. Sonya Pitchford and I talk about the tragic, unexpected loss of her beautiful daughter Tanieka Coley to a massive heart attack at only 34 years of age on October 29, 2021, and how she is navigating through a journey of grief and healing with GOD's help. I believe you will be encouraged as Sonya candidly shares how GOD met her in the pain and brokenness of such trauma, and is no...

With warmest wishes for a holiday season filled with hope, joy, and GOD's peace for you and your loved ones! Share any comments here *** Please take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy this podcast by clicking the link below. By doing so you help increase our visibility and discoverability for others, and we value your feedback! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope...

Have you ever met someone who epitomizes joy and gratitude, only to discover how deeply their life has been marked by unthinkable tragedy and grief? Meet Charmaine Castillo, a mom whose life was devastated by the news that her 32 year old son, Curtis, died of injuries sustained in an altercation on August 9, 2017. Learning this news through social media posts, served to compound the initial grief...

Clinical depression is no respecter of persons, having impacted approximately 29% of the population of the U.S., according to the latest 2023 statistics, and these numbers continue to rise. Tragically, depression, all too often, results in suicide or attempted suicide, leaving in its path a wave of unspeakable pain and grief forever altering the lives of those left behind. July 18, 2018 would fore...

Suicide deaths continue to rise in the U.S., claiming approximately 49,500 people in 2022. Sadly, this translates into many times that number of survivors left behind to grieve their loved ones. It leaves countless unanswered questions, and lives shattered by the trauma. For Luis and Dora Perez, February 23, 2010 would forever alter their lives as they learned their  beautiful 23 year old son, Lui...

For Tristan and Jill Borland, March 2016 was shaping up to be an exciting and busy month as they anticipated the arrival of their fifth daughter, Lucy Faith. However, a very sudden, tragic turn of events shattered their lives without any warning on March 4th when their precious three(3) year old daughter Maria died at home after briefly displaying symptoms of an apparent flu like virus. Seven(7) d...

After enduring months of a complicated pregnancy, the arrival of her beautiful baby daughter, Delia Grace, brought instant joy, a heart filled with thanksgiving, and a sense of relief for Elizabeth. However, she and her husband were soon to learn that Delia Grace was diagnosed with a rare blood condition, but otherwise, appeared and acted healthy. Her condition took a sudden turn, however, when sh...

Our lives are all marked by seasons. Some, we anticipate with excitement such as marriage, a new career, or the arrival of a child into our life. Then, there are those that ambush us without any warning, leaving us completely unprepared for their devastation, how long they would last, and radically change us. February 14, 2021 marked the beginning of such a season for Sitrena Woodson with an unexp...

Christmas is a season of joy, festivities, and celebrations with family and friends in our homes, churches and communities that we look forward to for weeks. For Ronaldlyn, however, December 20, 2016 brought the tragic, heartbreaking news that her precious, beautiful son JaKeith had been murdered at the age of 34. We invite you to listen as she shares how this unthinkable loss turned her and her h...

One of life's greatest treasures and sources of joy is our children. They fill our homes with laughter and sometimes make us so proud we feel like we'll explode. And because they don't come with an instruction book, GOD often teaches us as we try to teach and instruct them. The Bible offers plenty of wisdom for parenting ......... but not so much for losing a child. In this episode,...

What happens when unthinkable tragedy intersects our dreams, our plans, and our faith? We’re shattered, left in utter disbelief, a state where nothing seems to make any sense.  In this episode, Amy Sylvestre shares the story of her and her family’s journey from a heartbreaking diagnosis several weeks into her second pregnancy requiring a move from their home to a hospital hundreds of miles away. B...

Our children are such sweet, beautiful gifts from GOD, and bring unimaginable joy to their parents. Even as toddlers, we have dreams and aspirations of who and what they will become. We can’t imagine a future without them. As you listen to this episode, I believe you will be inspired and find hope as Cory and Heather Wessman share the tragic story of losing their beautiful son, Micah, at only 9 mo...

May 7, 2014 found Jeff and Mackenzie Rollins off to another day filled with the same activities as so many other young parents; feeding, dressing and  dropping kids off at the sitter's, then on to a busy day of work. But then came the phone call that changed everything and turned their world upside down. It was the call that every parent fears. How could their sweet, beautiful, healthy 3 mont...

As they were moving slowly through traffic on the exit ramp for a fun time together as a family at a baseball game, what Eric describes as "an explosion" suddenly, and without warning, left their world shattered. Listen as Eric and Marcy share their story of that life altering day that took the life of their precious 14 year old son Andy. How do we go on living after we lose a child? Doe...

Have you ever received unexpected, life altering news from a physician ....... and it was about your child? Those moments seem to make life stand still, and leave us wondering if we'll even be able to survive it. Listen as Sara shares her story of losing her precious son Tate before she ever even got to know him. Hear how GOD showed up in her pain, and restored hope and purpose from all those...

Anticipating the birth of a child is most often associated with joy and excitement; it's the culmination of months of waiting expectantly for that special day after multiple doctor visits, preparing a nursery, deciding on the "perfect" name, and dreams of an amazing future. But what happens when, without warning, tragedy strikes and everything changes? Listen as Amanda Cordero talks...

February 16, 2019 brought news that every parent fears. Susan's 27 year old son, Jacob had lost a long battle with an addiction. Having incurred a serious high school sports injury, Jacob, like so many others, was prescribed opioid pain medications. What began out of medical necessity, eventually took control, progressing to more potent, addictive substances. Jacob fought a long hard battle d...

On what might have been an otherwise ordinary fall morning, November 10, 2015 instead was marked by the horrific and brutal murder of his precious, beautiful, pregnant wife and unborn child. As the story was unfolding on national news outlets, Davey Blackburn’s world had been turned upside down. Suddenly, and without warning, he found himself a widower, the single dad of an 18 month old son, and p...

What began as an otherwise normal summer afternoon, July 13, 2022, took a very dramatic turn when a police vehicle pulled up at Monica's home with news that every parent fears and shattered her world. Listen as Monica shares her story about the traumatic and tragic loss of her beautiful son, Nathan. After only eight short months, her transparency is raw, but refreshing, and will draw you into...

On a day that began like most others, Bob Sloan was suddenly blindsided by the phone call that every parent fears, learning that his precious, beautiful 26 year old daughter Tracy had died from an overdose. Listen as Bob shares his story of living through a long season of grief to experiencing GOD’s gifts of healing, and eventual  restoration of hope, joy, and purpose. Share any comments here ***...

Equipping others to help encourage and support grieving parents and siblings. Share any comments here *** Please take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy this podcast by clicking the link below. By doing so you help increase our visibility and discoverability for others, and we value your feedback! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-...

That one moment in time on October 25, 2015 seemed to make time stand still for Cathy and Greg Buffkin (podcast host). The phone call that every parent fears, would forever change their lives, as they learned that their beautiful 26 year old married son, Ryan, had taken his own life. Listen, as Greg shares some of their journey from blindsiding trauma and pain through a seven year period of healin...

Twin sisters and co-founders of Open Frame, Rachel and Jaclyn found themselves completely unprepared for and devastated by the news they received that their younger brother, Justin, had suddenly and tragically died from a fentanyl overdose. Listen as they share how GOD took them from pain and brokenness to a place of healing, restoration, and purpose. Find out more about Open Frame by visiting the...

A conversation with Whitney B. Turner. On the morning of Oct.25, 2015, Whitney and her family's lives were turned upside down when they learned her younger brother Ryan had taken his own life during the night at the age of 26, leaving behind a young wife and 9 month old daughter. Married with a child of her own, Whitney suddenly found herself an only child once again and struggling to make se...