Wish for Wendy, Wings & WTMI
June 4, 2012 at 9:46 pm | Posted in Grief, life after loss, silver lining, twins | 8 CommentsTags: child loss, cystic fibrosis, death of a baby, family, Jake, Sawyer, twins, Wish for Wendy
Way Too Much Information:
We were at the pool the other day and I put our things down on a chair beside a woman with her newborn baby.
Our daughter quickly turned to the woman and with a big smile said, “I really like your baby.”
“Thank you! How old are you?” responded the very new mother.
“4 and 3/4 . So is my brother – we are twins. We had 2 babies too but they are dead.” She shrugged her shoulders and ran off towards the pool.
Silence. How many times can an already broken heart be broken again? I shrugged my shoulders and ran after her.
Wings:
Andy Lipman never met his older sister Wendy. She died when she was 16 days old from complications from cystic fibrosis. Andy was born 3 years later, also with cystic fibrosis.
I have written about Cystic fibrosis (CF) in previous posts. Charlie, one of my brother’s closest friends, lived over 26 years longer than doctors had originally predicted. CF is an inherited, chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 individuals in the United States, and 70,000 people worldwide. In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical care have enhanced and extended the lives of children and adults with CF. While Andy’s prognosis in 1973 projected that he would not live to become a teen, Andy is an active adult and sports enthusiast with two young children.
In August of 2006 Andy and his family founded the Wish for Wendy Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness about living with cystic fibrosis and supporting efforts to find a cure.
As I previously mentioned, I have decided that I am going to add a feature to this blog which focuses on families who are making the world a better place by honoring the memory and lives of their children. If you know of or come across any organizations that would be worth mentioning please let me know.
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A Mourning Mom 
My nephew has cystic fibrosis. His initial prognosis was that he would not live beyond 10 or 12 years old. I am thrilled to report he is a thriving 26 year old living in Paris.
On, On.
– Linda
Comment by The Good Cook— June 5, 2012 #
I’ve never seen such a beautiful butterfly!
Comment by SusanFB— June 5, 2012 #
Evyn talks about Emme daily in such a matter of fact way. Yesterday she said, “Mommy, how did you get a picture of Emme’s footprint (I have it on my nightstand) before God took her with him up to heaven?” Such innocent questions with such complicated answers.
xoxo
Comment by jodi— June 5, 2012 #
Beautiful song from a beautiful little lady. I really like what you’re doing with the blog! Keep up the great work Lanie.
Comment by Daphne— June 5, 2012 #
Thanks for what you wrote. You are an inspiration. I can see that you have been through a lot but you make ALL of your children proud.
Andy
Comment by Andy Lipman— June 5, 2012 #
Thanks for passing along both stories–and the lovely video of that sweet little butterfly!
Comment by Eden— June 5, 2012 #
awesome idea…and love the pool incident-I can so relate!
Comment by jenrad-HelpingHimGrieve— June 5, 2012 #
I love that my kids are beginning to talk about Hadley and carry on her memory too but it is so hard when then mention it when we least expect or might not be prepared to handle the emotions that come over us.
Love your idea to highlight organizations. One of my favorites is Molly Bears.
Comment by Jessica Watson (@JessBWatson)— June 8, 2012 #