Juliet Grace

When a child passes before a parent, it is said that a little bit of the parent passes too. I experienced this unnatural order early this morning when Juliet Grace passed away after just more than six months of the most courageous battle I’ve ever seen. Not sure whether we specifically were experiencing pain, sadness, relief, anger, or shock, it was in an environment of raw emotion from which our angel passed.

Yesterday, Juliet experienced serious internal bleeding, which required a significant amount of donor blood. This episode caused a chemical imbalance in her system from which she could not recover. Believing she had seen the worst, the doctor informed us that this episode was far beyond that from which we’d asked her to rebound earlier. Juliet was comfortable as she passed in the arms of her mom and dad, unhooked from the too many lines that had restrained and supported her. Again she demonstrated the perseverance that carried her well beyond medical expectations. And while her strength was immense, it is surely attributable to the thoughts and prayers of all of you who have followed a life whose briefness was exceeded only by the incredible impact she had on so many. A special thanks in particular to the staffs at Georgetown, Norfolk’s King’s Daughters, and Outer Banks hospitals, and Dare County (NC) Rescue in whose care she spent her whole life.

I am so very proud to be Juliet’s father, so lucky to have Jessica, Addison, and Mackenzie, and so touched for all of the support you have given my family since Juliet joined us in July. I look forward to celebrating her life and memory, and to ensuring that Juliet’s sisters carry forward her tremendous courage in their lives.

We will use this forum to share upcoming details about a memorial service and a memorial fund (in lieu of flowers, please) as they become available in the next few days.