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Losing a Child: Always Andy's Mom

As a pediatrician, married mom of three biological children and one foster son, my life was busy, rushing off to my office four days a week, seeing patients for three and working as a medical director of a local physician organization for one. I balanced this with rushing off to shuttle my kids to after sports and other after school activities. All of this changed one day in August of 2018 when my 14 year old son, Andy, was killed in a car accident. I felt like my life was over, and in some ways it was over, and a new life was forced to begin in its place. 

Grief is seldom discussed openly in our culture, and the death of a child makes people feel even more uncomfortable. On this blog and podcast, ‘Losing a Child: Always Andy’s Mom’, the topic is approached openly and honestly, speaking to people who have lost loved ones and experts who help care for them. Whether you are a parent experiencing loss or someone who wants to support another going through this tragedy, this blog and podcast strives to offer hope and help.

Apr 30, 2020

Upon opening Aria's mom's website, meganhillukka.com, the very first words read, 'One day, I was the mother of 3 children, then in one moment I wasn't.' Aria was 15 months old when her mother, Megan, walked into her bedroom one morning to find that she had inexplicably passed away in her sleep. Those opening words...


Apr 23, 2020

On today's episode, I have the privilege to talk with Rezarta, Leart's mom. Leart died just this past November on the 21st from complications following a kidney transplant. He was born with Schimke Immune-Osseous Dysplasia which is a type of dwarfism that also includes immune deficiency and kidney disease. Leart...


Apr 16, 2020

Ryan was almost 7 years old and on a typical father/son bike ride with his dad, Andy, when he was hit by a truck and killed while crossing the street during a green walk signal. Andy, a firefighter, desperately tried to save his son as his coworkers raced to the scene. They were unable to save Ryan that evening...


Apr 1, 2020

Tatum was 13 months old when he died early Christmas morning just over three months ago. Much of Tatum's short life was spent in the hospital due to complications of biliary atresia, a rare congenital disorder of the liver and biliary system that leads to liver failure. At 6 months of age, it was determined that...