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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.

Mar 9, 2023

Today's guests Myron and Jenny would probably say that they had a pretty blessed life before August 2015. They had both grown up in the church. They had two amazing sons, Caleb and Jacob, who they brought up in the faith as well. In fact, on the night their boys got in their car accident, the whole family had volunteered at a church event. Caleb and Jacob had driven separately and stayed a bit longer for some last-minute cleanup, but the parents expected the boys to arrive home shortly after they did. Unfortunately, their truck was struck by a drunk driver. Jacob was instantly killed while Caleb suffered life-threatening injuries.

Their lives were turned completely upside down. They tried to balance mourning Jacob's death with being present for Caleb as he recovered in the hospital from a traumatic brain injury. Although during the first weeks and months, they often felt like they were in a fog, they had an amazing church family to support them. They clung to their faith and slowly began to find some new purpose in their lives. Myron began speaking before young people on the dangers of drunk driving while Jenny turned inward and began to write. During the pandemic when the whole world seemed to shut down and isolate, Jenny started a blog and even published her book, 'God Prints: Finding Evidence of God in the Shattered Pieces of Life.' (Learn more about Jenny, her journey, and her plans for the future on her website, jennyleavitt.com.)

When I asked today's guests, Myron and Jenny, to give some closing words for today's episode, Myron said that he just wanted people to know that there is always hope. Even when life seems so dark and you might feel like giving up, don't do it. Myron and Jenny are constantly sharing their story with others in order to help show others that they are not alone and that hope can defeat the darkness. Myron says he wants people to look at their lives and say, "If Myron and Jenny can get through this, so can I."