This past weekend we went to a picnic for an organization called hearts of hope. We found out about them when we were pregnant with Charlie and went to our first picnic when I was 6 months pregnant with him. They offer hope for families of children with congenital heart defects. Seeing so many children survive their surgeries and their defects did make us hopeful that our son could join them and wear a "survivor" shirt just like them. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be, and instead we attend the picnics with our own shirts that says "our child is a heart angel". We felt out of place at these picnics following our loss, but in the past few years, there are more and more parents wearing the same shirt we are..
Why do we continue to go? Because we offer hope to those who are walking in our shoes. Hope that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, hope that life continues to move forward as we remember our warriors that lost their fight to a CHD.
It was a beautiful picnic. We had our two girls both wearing their shirts that say "my brother is a heart angel." I'm proud that they can remember their brother by proudly wearing their shirts. They may not know what how proud it makes us to remember him as a family wearing our matching shirts, but someday they will. :)
1 comment:
I know what you mean.. you woudln't think an article of clothing could make you feel so proud. When we made the shirts for the infant loss walk, we put on the backs - walking in memory of my son, Dresden.. and on Gwen's it said in memory of my baby brother, and on Delaney's in memory of my big brother. That felt SO good.. because even though she doesn't know it yet.. that little girl has the power to give so many people like us hope! In the months after Dresden died, I just needed hope to cling on too.. to know that things would get better and seeing people who'd walked the road before me, and still living, and still having joy in their lives, and still having babies.. it just gave me so much hope that I could be there too! And you are giving other people that same hope by going to those picnics.. you've gone through the unimaginable and you can still wear a smile on your face all while remembering Charlie and honoring him so beautifully!!
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