Remembrance

Earlier today, DH and I attended the Day of Pediatric Remembrance at the U of M's Masonic Children's Hospital. It's an event held for the families of children treated at the U of M who have passed in recent years. We were invited because that's where Quinn was born. When I RSVP'd, I also mentioned we needed to recognize Alexis and Zoe, and they were included in the program.

Let's just say that the day gave me all the feels.

We saw the social worker and chaplain that we knew from both our recent hospitalizations and from our time with Quinn. They both asked about A & T, and both told us that as soon as they saw my  name on the roster at Southdale, they checked in with Dr. Y to see what my status was. After the service was over they asked to see pictures of A & T. They recognized both the pain of our loss and the joy of A & T in a meaningful way. I was beyond touched, and so, so happy to see these two amazing women again.

It also felt wonderful to honor Alexis, Zoe, and Quinn. The last 14 weeks have been so focused on A & T that I was glad to spend some time on our other girls.

The rest. . . the rest was hard. Grief feels so isolating, so lonely. While DH has been amazing, and I've met other incredible loss moms who inspire me, I've often felt alone in my pain. During the program, each family shared a photo of their child. They ranged from NICU babies to late teens. Every one was absolutely beautiful and full of life in their photos. Being there with other families, seeing photos of their children reminded me of how much company we have. We are clearly not alone. That was both comforting and deeply heartbreaking as we stared at those photos of precious children who are no longer here.

How I wish we lived in a world where a day like this was unnecessary. However I'm very grateful to the U of M team for making this happen in the reality we do live in.