The Hearn Family

Oaklynn’s Story

In order for us to share Oaklynn’s story with you, we would have to go back to the day we were sitting in Dr. Langston’s office. We were all looking at the ultra sound and she told us that it was a girl! Our hearts exploded with joy! On the drive home we started working on names, and a few weeks later were lying in the bed talking with our daughter and Jennifer said I got it, OAKLYNN! I spelled it out, O-A-K-L-Y-N-N. From that day forward she had a name and we were a family. We read to her almost every night, I started working on a musical playlist that would help develop her love for music.

It was around 4 am when Jennifer started feeling some contractions, they were stronger by 6:30 am, we called the hospital and the nurse said if they got any closer to come on in. We were at the hospital by 9 am. It wasn’t long after arriving and getting all the monitors on that we are told our sweet baby girl didn’t have a heartbeat. At 37 weeks and 5 days our baby girl was pronounced dead at 1:22pm on January 22nd, 2017.

Shock. Disbelief. Heartache. Pain. How? Why? The flood of emotions and questions that cycle through a parent’s mind after losing their baby. It’s said that, when a parent dies you lose your past, when a child dies you lose your future. No pink ribbons, tap shoes, playlists to help her feel the love of music her daddy has, no Birthdays, NOTHING.

September 7, 2017 will always hold a special place in our heart. It was the day we arrived at Faith’s Lodge. When we turned off of Country Road C there was a sense of peace that we hadn’t felt since losing Oaklynn. It was as if she was there, taking our pain away and telling us everything was going to be okay. Faith’s Lodge was exactly what we needed! It helped us understand there is no wrong way to grieve and to be understanding of your partners grief. It was the first time that we felt accepted around other people and just because we laughed or smiled didn’t mean we were over the loss of our child. Faith’s Lodge helped us create lasting peaceful memories. From painting rocks, to making a dragon fly with pipe cleaners to the birdhouse with her name on it. It was healing, it was accepting, it was understanding the different path we are now on as grieving parents. We felt a bond to our daughter that weekend in September that will be cherished in our hearts forever.

~Oaklynn’s Parents Donald and Jennifer