Compassionate Friends

Thanks to Monsignor Richard Murphy of St. John's Catholic Church in Frederick, MD., he gave me the name of this wonderful organization called Compassionate Friends. This organization helps parents and grandparents that lose children. After spending alot of time today talking and sharing my story of Hayden, I have signed up to do a walk on July 4th, 2010 in Memory of Hayden. Walk to Remember. This link takes you to my pledge page. If you can donate a dollar or more, it will be greatly appreciated. Our team is called "Team Angel Hayden Parsons"!!! All funds go to help families in need for grief counseling...myself included! I know that I am not alone, but it is truly comforting to know that other grandparents are helping people like myself with the losses we share. Maybe one day I can help a grandma with her loss and I was helped with mine!

A Special Poem

This poem was given to me by a friend.

I'll lend you for a little while
A child of Mine, He said.
For you to love him while he lives
And mourn for when he's gone.
It may be 2 or 3 years, or it may be
Twenty-two or three.
But will you, till I call him back
Take care of him for Me?
He'll bring his wit to gladden you,
And should his stay be brief,
You'll have his memories as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay,
Since all from earth return
But there are lessons taught down there
I want this child to learn.
I've looked the wide world over,
In search of teachers true
And from the crowds that throng life's way
I have selected you.
Now will you give him all your love,
And think it not in vain,
Nor hate Me when I come to call
And take him back again?
I fancied that I heard them say,
Dear Lord, Thy will be done
For all the joy Thy Child shall bring
The risk of grief we'll run.
We'll shelter him with tenderness,
We'll love him while we may
And for the happiness we've known
Forever grateful stay...
But should the angels call him back
Much sooner than we've planned
We'll brave the bitter grief that comes
And try to UNDERSTAND.

Torrance Harvey

Goodnight, Sweet Hayden....

Nana loves you and misses you oh so much!

Hayden's Celebration of Life

Today is the day we have all been dreading to come. To say goodbye to Hayden. To celebrate his life and remember ALL the fun, smiles, and happy times this little guy gave to all of us. It was a beautiful service. Father Andy Aaron spoke along with another Minister the family invited to speak. We later met at Baker Heights Fire Department, near Martinsburg, WV to eat and share more memories. Another day I hated to see end, as much as I hated to see it get here. Because now we all go our own ways to grieve and deal with the loss of Hayden. To wait for answers to many questions. Some we may get, some we may never get. If you want to look at more pictures of the service before it began, please check out the Picasa link on the right side.

Hayden is being cremated. The family wants everyone to remember him the way he was before he went into the hospital, not how he was when he left to go to Heaven. It was hard for us to see him, very hard. Hence the reason for ALL the pictures and we had more at the reception too!

Thank you so much to EVERYONE for all your love, support, cards, gifts, prayers, thoughts - EVERYTHING to help all of us thru this difficult time. We were all praying he would be back home with us. But I guess God needed Hayden more and took away his pain and suffering. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything. ^i^

A poem to share by a friend who shared it with me:


The Broken Chain

We little knew that morning that God

Was going to call your name.

In life we loved you dearly,

In death we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you,

You did not go alone;

For part of us went with you,

The day God called you home.

You left us peaceful memories,

Your love is still our guide;

And though we can not see you,

You are always at our side.

Our family chain is broken,

And nothing seems the same;

But as God calls us one by one,

THE CHAIN will link again.

I miss my little Hayden so much!

This is one of the pictures of Hayden before he got his bone marrow transplant. He wasn't allowed to play on the floor, so they had to put a mat down on the floor for him. He was hooked up to IV's, so he couldn't go far either! But that nite I came to visit, he had his pillow and blanket on the mat and wanted me to lay down with him and go nite nite. So I did! We laid there for a short time and then got up to play. I will never ever forget that visit. My heart is aching so bad. I can't stop crying, afraid to go to sleep. I walk into Wal-Mart and see things that remind me of him and I break out crying. I can't even look at a package of Oreo Cookies and I cry. We loved to eat Oreo cookies together. I'd tell Hayden "You know I'm going to get fat eating these cookies, right?" He'd say "yep!" I can't accept that he is really gone from all of us. It tears my heart up to see my son grieving over the loss of his son, Trish over the loss of her son and how she had to watch Hayden's health turn from good to bad the entire time in the hospital, my Mom over the loss of her great-grandson, and my other 2 sons over the loss of their nephew. All over the hands of one careless person. Took him from us, before his time. When I go to bed now, I hold his blanket near to me. It smells just like him. I know in time that precious smell will be gone. But it's all I have to hold onto now. Yes, I know I'm a grown woman. But that is all I have left of Hayden to hold onto...his Cars blanket. Forgive me Chris and Trish for taking it. I miss holding my Baby! I love you Hayden!

Hayden's Celebration of Life 3/23/10

Hayden's Celebration of Life will be held Tuesday, March 23rd at 3pm at Brown Funeral Home in Martinsburg, WV. Hayden's obit is listed online at the Funeral Home and you can write a note to the family!

Hayden has gone to Heaven ^i^

Hayden passed away yesterday, March 17th, 2010, at 7:08 pm at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC. He had been in the hospital since January 25th, a day after his third birthday. I just don't know what to say right now except they took him from us. I'll explain more later, but they had to intubate him and when they did, they punctured his lung and he bled out. His vitals dropped and he coded. They worked on him for almost an hour and he was already gone. I got there 6 minutes after they pronounced him. Not fair. They took our baby from us. It was the worst ride home in my life. We had to clean out his room and we put it all in my car so her parents could take them home. To look in my rear view mirror and see his favorite cozy car - just killed me. I just can't stop crying. I will never hold my Hayden in my arms ever again. The memories are eating me up right now, but I know in time they will comfort me. My heart aches so bad for Chris and Trish. No mother should have to watch her child go thru that. She was the best mother. And Chris was the best dad. Hayden was very lucky and very loved by many.

I love you forever and always Hayden Isac Parsons. Eat some Oreo cookies with Jesus!