Claim OwnershipWhile We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss
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© 2025 While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss
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This is a podcast FOR bereaved parents BY bereaved parents. Join your host, Jill Sullivan, as she talks with parents who have lost children of all ages to all types of circumstances. This is a podcast of stories ... stories of devastating loss and grief and heartbreak and struggle ... and stories of hope and healing and faith, and yes, even joy. Underlying every conversation will be the hope we have in Jesus Christ, which makes it possible to not just survive the loss of a child, but to live well while we're waiting to see them again in Heaven one day. Visit our website at www.WhileWereWaiting.org for more information about our nonprofit ministry to bereaved parents.
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Christmas can feel especially heavy after the death of a child. Traditions that once brought joy may now magnify the absence, and the expectations of the season can feel overwhelming for a heart that is grieving. In this episode, I gather the voices of While We’re Waiting retreat and support group facilitators—bereaved moms and dads who share honest reflections and practical wisdom for navigating Christmas after loss. Their stories offer permission to do things differently, encouragement to t...
In Part Two of my conversation with Jenny Leavitt, we continue exploring the GodPrints—God’s gentle fingerprints of presence and faithfulness—woven through her family’s grief journey after the loss of her son, Jacob. Jenny shares how she and her husband learned to walk together through grief even when their personalities and coping styles differed. She talks about the emotional weight of anniversaries, holidays, and court dates, and how offering grace to one another became essential in those ...
In this first half of a two-part conversation, I sit down with Jenny Leavitt — pastor’s wife, author of GodPrints, and bereaved mom — to hear the story of her son, Jacob, and the unmistakable “GodPrints” woven throughout her family’s journey. Jenny begins by describing her earlier battle with stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma while raising two very young boys, and how God used that season to prepare her heart in ways she wouldn’t fully understand until years later. She then introduces us to J...
In this second half of my conversation with Debra Amick, we explore what life looked like after Chase went to Heaven and how God gently led her from deep grief toward renewed purpose. A meaningful part of this episode centers on four anchors God gave her in the fog of grief: Prayer support when she didn’t have strength of her ownScripture placed throughout her home to remind her of what was trueResting in God’s presence, allowing Him to meet her where words failedGuarding her heart, choosing ...
When God Holds the Thread: Chase’s Story In this first half of my conversation with Debra Amick, she shares the story of her son Chase—a talented artist, musician, and gentle soul whose life touched so many. Debra opens up about his early years, the emergence of mental-health struggles in his teens, and the intentional decision she and her husband made to stay closely connected to his heart. She also recounts the powerful moment when Chase returned to his faith in Jesus and the heartbreaking ...
“Even in the darkest valley, the Shepherd is still good—and He never lets go.” In this week’s episode, I talk with Meshea Ingram, a mom who has walked through the deepest valley imaginable and found her Shepherd faithful every step of the way. Meshea shares about her little boy, Briggs—a joyful child with an unforgettable laugh and a big personality that filled every room. In the summer of 2022, a tragic drowning incident changed everything. Meshea speaks honestly about the days she pra...
“What if hope isn’t about holding on—but about being held?” In today's episode, I had the privilege to sit down with Cheri Fletcher—a writer, speaker, and flash mob aficionado—who shares the story of her daughter Annie, a vibrant young woman whose life reflected creativity, compassion, and faith. Cheri opens up about the sudden medical crisis that took Annie’s life at just 29, the ache of surrendering to God’s will, and the unshakable truth that we are never left to simply “hang in ther...
In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Cindy Shufflebarger, who shares the story of her daughter, Ashlynn Faith, and how God’s immeasurable love met her family in the midst of unimaginable loss. Diagnosed with Trisomy 18, Ashlynn lived for three precious days — days filled with both deep sorrow and sacred joy. Cindy reflects on those moments, the way her faith was reshaped through lament, and how journaling became a lifeline that led to her book Dancing in the Rain: Finding Joy in the Midst of...
Today's episode is a little bit different than what you usually hear on the While We're Waiting podcast. I've invited my husband Brad to join me to reflect on our daughter Hannah’s birthday. She would have turned 34 years old today—which means she’s now double the age she was when she went to Heaven at 17. That realization has hit us a little bit harder this year. As we’ve been reflecting, we found ourselves thinking about all that’s changed in the world over the past 17 years—as well a...
In the second half of my conversation with grieving dad Terry Sternad, we see what grief—and faith—can look like more than forty years after the death of a child. Terry’s six-year-old son, TJ, went to heaven in 1983, and while the ache of missing him has never gone away, Terry has discovered that joy and sorrow can coexist through a deep, abiding relationship with God. In this episode, Terry reflects on how grief has shaped his walk with God and how it has grown into a ministry of comfort for...
When a father loses a child, the world shifts forever. In this first half of my two-part conversation with grieving dad Terry Sternad, he takes us back more than forty years to the day his six-year-old son, TJ, went to heaven—and the remarkable way God was already preparing his heart for that moment. Before TJ’s death in December of 1983, Terry didn’t believe in God. But through the faithful witness of a coworker and tender moments with his mother, seeds of faith were planted long before he k...
“Surrender is not a moment; it’s a posture I’ve had to return to again and again.” With these words, Julie South describes the ongoing journey she’s walked since her daughter Bellah’s homegoing. In this second part of our conversation, Julie shares honestly about living with PTSD, how trauma has impacted her family, and what surrender has looked like as she continues to walk with God through grief. She also reflects on how her grief has evolved nearly six years later, why simple practices lik...
“Even in the halls of the hospital, God showed me I was not alone.” I'm excited today to introduce you to my friend Julie South. In this first half of our conversation, Julie shares the story of her daughter Bellah—a joyful, compassionate little girl whose life was marked by both laughter and serious medical challenges. Julie talks about how her daughter Makaylah’s health struggles prepared their family for medical adoption, how God led them to Bellah, and the joy Bell...
Kim Allison returns to the While We're Waiting podcast to share more of her story—this time opening up about the loss of her husband, Herb, to suicide, and how God is redeeming the broken pieces of her life. She reflects on her two babies in Heaven, Benjamin and Jeremiah, the vibrant life of her son Timothy, who went to Heaven in 2021, the deep valleys of grief she has walked through, and the tools that have helped her trade sorrow for peace. This tender, yet hope-filled conversation po...
"The cradle is a temporary comfort—but the eternal comfort comes from the hope of the gospel.” ~Ashley Opliger In this second half of my conversation with Ashley Opliger, she takes us back to the day of Bridget’s birth and describes the tender moments she and her family shared with their tiny daughter, who weighed just 13 ounces. Ashley shares how her mother’s handmade cradle gave Bridget dignity and allowed their family precious time to hold, cherish, and photograph her. What began as ...
“Lament is slowing down to sit in the sadness and bring it to God.” ~Ashley Opliger The importance of lament is just one of the topics I discussed with Ashley Opliger on the podcast this week. Ashley is a wife, mom, author, speaker, and the founder of Bridget’s Cradles, a nonprofit ministry she started in memory of her daughter, Bridget. In this first half of our conversation, Ashley shares her daughter Bridget’s story—the gift of her pregnancy, the joy of preparing for her ...
In this second half of our conversation, Kelly opens her heart about the unique challenges of losing a child to suicide and the long road of learning to live with deep grief. She reflects on the endless “what if” questions, the weight of not knowing, and the disorientation that comes with walking through such profound loss. Kelly also shares about the “waypoints” that marked her first year of grief—things like unknowing, providence, compassion, God’s presence, gratitude, and even disbelief. E...
Kelly Uribe joins me today to share the story of her son Ernesto—a vibrant, adventurous, and deeply loved young man. She describes his big personality, his penchant for "people gathering", and the artistic eye that set him apart. She also shares about the spring when everything began to change, leading their family into a long and arduous journey through the mental health care system, and ultimately to Ernesto's death by suicide in the fall of 2022. With great transparency, Kelly recounts the...
In last week’s conversation with Chad and Ronni Fellers (listen HERE), we heard the story of their son Paxton—his adoption, his joy-filled spirit, and the day their lives changed forever. We also heard how grief has forced them to wrestle deeply with their faith and the goodness of God in the wake of profound loss. In today’s episode, part two of our conversation, we focus on something many grieving hearts struggle to understand: lament. Chad and Ronni speak honestly about what it means to br...
We’re beginning a two-part series today with Chad and Ronni Fellers, who invite us into their story and help us understand what it means to grieve with both faith and honesty. In today’s episode, Chad and Ronni share about their son Paxton, a young man his dad describes as “all gas, no brakes”—his adoption story, his bold and fearless personality, and the morning that marked the beginning of a life-altering journey. They talk about the six weeks spent in the hospital, the thousands of p...
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