While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss

I’m so pleased to introduce you to my new friend Pat Elsberry.  Her beautiful daughter Melanie died from an accidental drug overdose in February of 2020, after years of battling substance use disorder.  In today’s episode, Pat shares the struggles she and Melanie walked through together, and about the day she received a phone call from a police detective informing her that her worst nightmare had...

Hannah and I were good shopping buddies ... the last year or so that we shopped together, she really took it upon herself to move her mom out of the '80's.  She enjoyed critiquing the outfits I tried on and giving me fashion advice.  I loved it.  One of her favorite shows was "What Not To Wear" (after American Idol, of course!) and she always laughingly talked about submitting...

Welcome to the third and final installment of my conversation with Janet Boxx!  If you’ve missed the last two episodes, you’ll want to go back and listen to hear the story of her son Cole, who was stillborn in 1992, and the story of her daughters Bethany and Katie, who were killed in a violent car collision in 2013.  Today Janet shares more of the wisdom she’s gained through her wrestle with grief...

Six months.  Half a year.  That's how much time had passed since Hannah's brain surgery.  It had been a trying six months, to be sure ... but by this point cancer had subtly slipped into the background of our daily lives.  After the initial flurry of radiation treatments and clinic visits, things had settled into a surprisingly comfortable routine.  It's still amazing to me how quic...

Today's episode features a continuation of my conversation with Janet Boxx.  Last week, Janet shared about the loss of her son Cole to stillbirth and introduced us to her three daughters, Bethany, Gracen, and Katie.  As we pick up the story today, she talks about the violent collision that took place the day after Christmas in 2013, which resulted in the deaths of two of her daughters, and th...

I wish I had a "first day of school" picture for the beginning of Hannah's junior year and Bethany's eighth-grade year.  But at this point in her cancer treatments, Hannah really did not like having her photograph taken.  Her hair was still thin from the radiation rays and she was a little self-conscious about that.  I respected her wishes and did not take one.  In fact, we hav...

Janet Boxx has been a friend of mine for almost nine years now, and she has been a consistent source of encouragement in my life.  She has experienced the loss of three of her four children, and she will be my guest over the next three episodes as she shares their stories with us and discusses how God has walked with her as she’s wrestled through the unimaginable.  In today’s episode, we primarily...

In the fall of 2008, Hannah was ready to get the new school year underway.  She would be a junior this year, and was anxious to get it behind her so she could start her senior year, graduate (as valedictorian, of course!) and go on to Ouachita Baptist University the next fall.  Brain cancer was just a blip on the screen of her life at this point. She had so much to look forward to!   As we are in...

Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Daniel’s parents, Jim and Patty Polk.  As a pastor, Jim brings a unique perspective to our discussion, and as we begin this episode, he is addressing the re-examination of his faith that resulted from Daniel’s sudden and unexpected death.  From there, we move on to discuss biblical lament, how grief evolves over time, and advice for ne...

The beginning of August 2008 brought a flurry of back-to-school activity.  Hannah was excited about beginning her junior year of high school, getting her cancer treatments behind her, and moving forward with life in general.  Things seemed to be moving along just as they should be with her treatment protocol, and we were savoring every moment we had with our girls.   Thank you for joining me for a...

It was just a normal Wednesday when Jim Polk and his 29-year-old son Daniel walked into a university concert venue together.  What unfolded over the next few moments would change Daniel's parents' lives forever and lead them to completely re-examine their faith.  As a pastor and pastor's wife, Jim and Patty Polk bring a unique perspective to our conversation, and I believe you'...

Hannah was amazingly patient with most aspects of her regularly-scheduled appointments at Children's Hospital, and never complained about the endless blood draws, blood pressure checks, and repetitive questions from her doctors and nurses.  But she hated the antibiotic breathing treatment she had to endure every month, which required her to be zipped into a clear plastic tent and breathe in s...

I believe every bereaved parent asks the question, "What If ... ?".  Cody and April Quillen bring a new perspective to that question in today's episode, which is a continuation of our conversation from last week.   If you missed last week’s episode, I encourage you to go back and listen to hear the story of their harrowing escape from Mexico when their daughter Catie experienced a h...

Hannah approached every MRI with remarkable composure.  She never needed any kind of sedation ... just her headphones and a Carrie Underwood CD.  The biggest stress for her was the insertion of the IV because she was such a "hard stick".  I've wondered if maybe she didn't really understand the life-or-death nature of these scans, or if she was just that confident that everythin...

Cody and April Quillen were enjoying a long-awaited family vacation in Mexico when their daughter Catie experienced a serious health crisis.  In today's episode they share the harrowing tale of their experience with the Mexican healthcare system, culminating in them having to kidnap their daughter from the hospital to get her back to the United States.  In the first half of this two-part epis...

As we celebrated the life of her great grandmother, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through Hannah's mind.  Was she thinking of her own mortality as she considered the life and death of her great grandmother?  She had heard what the doctor said about glioblastoma on the day of her diagnosis. Did she wonder if her own funeral might be next? Or was her faith so strong that she di...

Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Karen Harmening, blogger and author of the new book “Sifted: Diary of a Grieving Mother”.  If you are walking the journey of child loss, you will find something in our chat that will encourage you today.  We are picking up right where we left off last week as we discuss entries from this diary of a grieving mom … and I am so excited to...

During the summer of 2008, we had the opportunity to take a family vacation to Nashville, Tennessee.  We stayed at the Opryland Hotel and enjoyed some good restaurants, toured the Country Music Hall of Fame, visited a botanical garden, shopped at a big mall where we fed manta rays, and saw the sights of Nashville.  During the time we were there, we could almost forget that Hannah was sick because...

When my friend Karen Harmening announced a few months ago that she was publishing a book born from her experience with the loss of her daughter Sarah, I was thrilled … not just for myself, but for all my bereaved parent friends who will benefit from the wisdom and insight the Lord has given her through her journey of grief.  She will be my guest over the next two episodes to talk about her story a...

Continued platelet problems and lower blood counts overall led to more delays in Hannah's treatment.  While Hannah enjoyed the break and a little bit of normalcy, we were concerned about the impact these delays could be having on keeping her cancer at bay.  We tried to put these concerns, and her upcoming MRI, out of our minds and just enjoy our summer with the girls.   Thank you for joining...

Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Keith & Shawnda Freer, whose daughter Meghan died by suicide very unexpectedly in the spring of 2018.  We pick up right where we left off last week as we extend our discussion to cover a wide variety of topics including the attributes and character of God, the marriage relationship after child loss, how Meghan’s death has changed t...

If I had known how important platelets were going to become in the life of our family, I probably would have paid closer attention in my junior high science class!  Sixteen years ago today, Hannah's bloodwork showed a continued downward trend in her platelet levels, leading to the postponement of her next chemotherapy treatment.  While Hannah was happy about that, we were anxious to get back...

My friends Keith and Shawnda Freer join me today for a conversation that will continue over the next two episodes.  Their daughter Meghan very unexpectedly took her own life in 2018, and since that time, they’ve found themselves living in the mystery of God’s sovereignty.  They are the founders of GriefHope, a Christ-centered ministry that provides education and support for bereaved parents throug...

Another Grandma and Grandpa Camp was in the books and while Hannah clearly enjoyed the time with her grandparents and cousins, I could tell she was glad to be home.   Monday was a clinic day, and her bloodwork revealed a fairly precipitous drop in her platelet levels, which was not entirely unexpected with the higher dose of chemo she had just completed.  We were hopeful for a quick rebound in the...

Sixteen years ago today, Hannah took her ACT test.  She had just returned from her "Grandma & Grandpa" Camp week, and was pretty worn out, but she was adamant about taking that test.  She had just completed her sophomore year of high school, and planned to take it several times over the next couple of years, hopefully increasing her score each time so she could get lots of college sc...