On Sunday, March 30th, 2008, our dear son Nathan Ryan Larson went home to our Lord in heaven. His twenty five days here with us were precious beyond words. Many of our friends and family followed Nate's story as he battled for his life. Much of his journey was depicted in 25 days of email updates, photos and video.
Nate's journey was an extraordinary one. We invite you to honor his short life with us, by reading through his journey in a thread of email updates, in photos and in video.
We deeply appreciate the outpouring of love and support from our family and friends, and invite you to leave your thoughts and prayers by commenting below.
In loving memory of Nate,
Erik, Trisha, Shayna, Noah, Kyla, and Kaylee Larson
To leave us your comments, thoughts and prayers, click on the link "COMMENTS" below. Please remember to include your name.
Please donate to CHLA.
Please donate to Ronald McDonald House
18 comments:
Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to your family. Nate is a special boy that has touched countless lives...thank you for including us in your journey. I look forward to meeting Nate in heaven. Love you all!
Debbie
I will keep my words to a minimum because words would never express how heartbroken I am for you all. I just want to say that I'm reading the blog and Nathan has greatly impacted my life. He has made a huge difference, really. He makes me want to love well.
I just wish I could hug you guys so tightly it would make the hurt disappear. Thanks for letting me do my small part for you guys through this painful time.
I can't sleep...again...my thoughts are filled with a beautiful baby boy. I realize that I've fallen in love with someone I've never met. It started with the e-mail updates from Erik...I anxiously awaited each day's update and hearing how each day went and I learned what an incredible fighter Nathan was. What clinched it though was when I was putting the photographs in the frames for his memorial service. I stared at each of those 26 pictures for such a long time...and I fell in love. Nathan, I never got to meet you but I miss you and I look forward to meeting you in heaven. You are such an inspiration to so many people. Tell Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Larson and Great Grandpa Fillmore hi for us.
Much Love,
Your Auntie Crystal
Thank you so much for sharing this time in your life with us; your struggles, perseverance and love. You have shown us so much through your time of happiness and loss. You are and will continue to be in our prayers.
I would like to offer you and your wife these words about God's love from the 13th century Islamic poet, Jelalludin Rumi:
"Let my love fill your golden cup
like sunbeams showering the earth.
Let it flow to every corner of your soul.
Let it tear up the gnarled roots of regret
and nourish the tender seeds of hope."
My best wishes to you and your wife.
Greg
What a beautiful tribute to Nate. He is gorgeous!!! Thank you for sharing him with us - his story is inspirational. Nate was a fighter!! I can only imagine how proud you are of your son.
Blessings,
Kirsten (from Empty Arms)
Nate has made his way into our hearts out here in Arizona. We are thinking of you, praying for you and sending you our love. God bless and comfort you during this very difficult time. Friends always,
Darryl & Robyn Brice
Anthem, Arizona
Dear Erik and Trisha and family,
I have followed your story and your blog from CA Heart Connections. As if it wasn't gut wrenching enough to read that you lost your beautiful son, to read your most recent post was just painful. No person should ever, ever have to endure what your family has been through.
Honestly, my experience with my son was quite similar to yours. However, I am the lucky one. We were at CHLA and sent back to San Diego Childrens. I think about you often, my baby could have had the same fate as yours.
I pray that God brings you all peace some day. I wanted to share a poem, that is actually posted on the care pages of another CA Heart Connection parent, who lost a child. I cut and pasted it, because, it is beautiful and amazing, and something I believe with my whole heart. Maybe you've seen it, maybe you haven't. Either way, I just want you to know that you have a heart family in San Diego praying for you.
I will sign off from here. All my best. Su Flaherty:
The Brave Little Soul-by John Alessi
Not too long ago in Heaven there was a little soul who took wonder in observing the world. He especially enjoyed the love he saw there and often expressed this joy with God. One day however the little soul was sad for on this day he saw suffering in the world. He approached God and sadly asked, "why do bad things happen, why is there suffering in the world?"
God paused for a moment and replied, "Little soul, do not be sad, for the suffering you see unlocks the love in people's hearts." The little soul was confused. "What do you mean?” he asked. God replied, "Have you not noticed the goodness and love that is the offspring of that suffering?" Look at how people come together, drop their differences and show their love and compassion for those who suffer. All their other motivations disappear and they become motivated by love alone."
The little soul began to understand and listened attentively as God continued, "The suffering soul unlocks the love in people's hearts much like the sun and the rain unlock the flower within the seed. I created everyone with endless love in their heart, but unfortunately most people keep it locked up and hardly share it with anyone. They are afraid to let their love shine freely, because they are afraid of being hurt. But a suffering soul unlocks that love. I tell you this-it is the greatest miracle of all. Many souls have bravely chosen to go into the world and suffer-to unlock this love-to create this miracle-for the good of all humanity.
Just then the little soul got a wonderful idea and could hardly contain himself. With his wings fluttering, bouncing up & down, the little soul excitedly replied, "I am brave, let me go! I would like to go into the world & suffer so that I can unlock the goodness and love in people's hearts! I want to create that miracle.”
God smiled and said, "You are a brave soul I know, and thus I will grant your request, But even though you are very brave you will not be able to do this alone. I have known since the beginning of time that you would ask for this and so I have carefully selected many souls to care for you on your journey. Those souls will help you create your miracle; however they will also share in your suffering. Two of these souls are most special and will care for you, help you and suffer along with you, far beyond others. They have already chosen a name for you.”
God and the brave little soul shared a smile and then embraced. In parting God said, "Do not forget little soul that I will be with you always. Although you have agreed to bear the pain, you will do so through my strength. And if the time should come when you feel that you have suffered enough just say the word, think the thought and you will be healed.”
Thus at that moment the brave little soul was born into the world, and through his suffering and God's strength he unlocked the goodness and love in people's hearts. For so many people dropped their differences & came together to show their love. Priorities became properly aligned, People gave from their hearts. Those that were always too busy found time. Many began new spiritual journeys-some regained lost faith-many came back to God. Parents hugged their children tighter. Friends and family grew closer. Old friends got together and new friendships were made. Distant family reunited and every family spent more time together. Everyone prayed. Peace and love reigned. Lives changed forever. It was good. The world was a better place. The miracle had happened. God was pleased.
My heart is breaking for you. My name is Dana Groff, I used to watch the twins in the nursery at Canyon Hills. Maybe you don't remember me. You are two of the greatest parents ever...Your little Nathan was blessed to have you even for only 25 days. I will pray that you feel some peace, it must be difficult to function. May God be with you and your family. Please let me know if I can ever do anything for you.
With deep sympathy, Dana
949-472-8030
I read, and reread, and look at the pictures of that sweet little boy and your family. You are so blessed to have had him for the short time you had and no one can ever understand what you feel in his loss. I am thankful your family had him for the time you were given and know that you are loved and prayed for every day all over the world. God bless Nathan and all of you who knew and loved your little angel.
Hi Trisha, I found your blog through Craig and Mirne's blog after I clicked on your name on a comment you left. Reading your email journey gave me an eerie sense of deja vu. My son Calvin was diagnosed in utero with a severe CHD they thought was tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary atresia. We too kept in touch with family and friends via email updates as my pregnancy progressed. We too moved away from home so that our son could be born at a Children's Hospital that was equipped to deal with his heart defect. Every scan, every checkup was like being on a roller coaster ride, no pulmonary artery one day, a pulmonary artery with good positive forward flow the next, back to no pulmonary artery. We were told we may have to fly to San Fransico for surgery. When our son and his healthy twin sister were born, he was immediately taken from us for a scan of his heart which revealed he had a condition called Truncus Arteriosus Type 3 which is extremely rare. My son had open heart surgery at three days old and died of complications of ECMO on the sixth day. Your journey has brought me back to my own, and although it's been painful to read, I appreciate the feeling of knowing that someone else has been there too. Thanks so much for sharing Nathan. He's gorgeous. Sending hugs from one bereaved mother to another...
Trisha - I just watched the video again and I sit here in my living room and my heart just goes out to you - such a beautiful baby boy, Nate is so precious - looking at the video I remember when my 4th daughter was born and she was in NICU for three days because she inhaled amnionic fluid before they could deliver her during the C-section and she literally almost drowned - she was a 10 lb. baby with 27 lines going into her body from head to toe in there with all those tiny babies - she recovered and did fine - but I will never forget the feeling of being in the NICU. God watch over you and keep you close to Himself.
I am so sorry...I found you through Cora's link...
blessings,
Sarah
Your family and your little Nate are making an impact on people you don't even know. Nathan's blog was forwarded to me from a friend and I have just sat here in sobs of tears as I followed your journey. Life is such a paradox ... so wonderful and yet so painful. I know you'll never know why you went through what you did, but hopefully in time to come some of your pain will be replaced with a greater strength and happiness. As I write this, you are just a matter of weeks away from the one year mark ... I hope and pray that you are now over the hardest days and that you are all finding your new "normal" as a family. Prayers, Blessings & Peace from a complete stranger who was sincerely moved by your journey.
Dear Erik & Trisha:
I came upon your blog website through Erik's Facebook page. His picture came up in the margin of FB and I was wondering how you all are doing so I clicked it, then found the link to this. I just read through most of your posts and watched one of the videos. My heart is so heavy and the tears won't stop. I am so, so sorry for all you went through, and for the pain you will always carry.
Trisha - the pictures you took of our family are still proudly displayed in our home. You are such an awesome photographer and I especially LOVE the one you took of me with my girl, Jessica, when she was about six months old.
Your family is beautiful and I know there will always be a hole in your hearts. I will pray that the peace that surpasses all understanding will continue to fill it up so that the pain grows faint, and that the hope and promise of seeing your beautiful Nathan in heaven will overpower the sorrow.
With much love,
Cathy Sujishi
Nathan's birthday is tomorrow. It's been three years now since he left us for Heaven. I think about him often, wonder how he is doing in Heaven, what he must look like today. Handsome like his dad, I'm sure, and strong like the warrior he proved himself to be during his brief time here. Happy Birthday Nathan! And all my love to you, your mom and dad and the family.
Uncle Ron
Little One
You were so fragile, so weak
And yet so strong
Brave warrior as helpless babe
Little One
You were so loved
Surrounded by so many
Pieces of all our hearts now missing
Little One
We feel your loss so deeply
An emptiness
An end before a beginning
Little One
Your light was so bright
Shining only for an instant
But visible for all eternity
Little One
You were taken before we knew you
Gone in an instant
And what we knew was taken with you
Little One
There is no forgetting
You are with us
You have left this world, but never left our hearts
Nathan Ryan Larson
You were… you are… you will always be
Our most precious Little One
- Paul Fillmore
Post a Comment