Grieving Mom Has Tear-Jerking Photo Shoot for What Would Have Been Baby's First Birthday
Warning: This mama’s heartbreaking story will make you cry. You could stop reading now. Or you can continue on. If you do, I promise it will be worth it.
On Dec. 15, 2016, Kyrstyn Johnson of Boise, Idaho, found out she was pregnant with her third child.
She already had two happy and healthy twin girls. But this new baby would end up being a boy, her “little man.”
Mayson Michael was born on Aug. 22, 2017. He’d be just over one year old right now. But Mayson was tragically taken by SIDS in the spring.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SIDS — or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome — “about 3,500 babies in the United States die suddenly and unexpectedly each year.”
An estimated 42% of of those deaths are attributed to SIDS. Mayson was another victim of this terrifying and mysterious syndrome.
“…We still don’t know why or understand how he could just die,” Johnson told Love What Matters. “On April 16, 2018, I became an individual that I never thought I’d be, a bereaved parent.”
Johnson shared how she fell in love with Mayson. She explained how this sweet addition to her family made her feel complete.
But nothing could have prepared her for that horrific phone call on April 16. When she arrived at the hospital, her baby boy was already gone.
“He was so cold,” she said. “I remember just wrapping him up in blankets and holding him tight to keep him warm, even though he was already with God.”
This is something no parent should ever have to experience, but thousands face the reality of SIDS every year.
In her grief, Johnson wanted others who have gone through the same thing to know they’re not alone.
“… maybe, just maybe, I can take my experience, educate, and end the stigma of infant and pregnancy loss. To show other bereaved parents they are not alone,” she wrote.
In honor of what would have been Mayson’s 1st birthday, Johnson asked Lil’ Lemon Photography to do a very special photo shoot.
The pictures are beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. This precious boy was only 8 months old. He had so much life ahead of him.
“Happy birthday, my sweet little man…” Johnson wrote on Facebook. “…my heart aches because a piece of it is missing and will forever be with you.”
Johnson hopes these photos will help others not only remember her son, but also know they should “never suffer alone.”
Our hearts and prayers are with Johnson and all the parents who have suffered the loss of a child.
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