Honoring the life of Timmy Matthew Stang

“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” – Helen Keller

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” – Winnie the Pooh

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” – Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT

We learned at a routine ultrasound when I was 18 weeks pregnant with Timmy that he would either not survive the birth or pass away shortly after he was born due to a poor prenatal diagnosis. Despite this, we made the decision to carry to term. I read a post on a Facebook support group where a baby had been an organ/tissue donor. Where medical science failed to explain why our baby got this diagnosis, donation allowed us to change our baby’s status from “incompatible with life” to a hero of donation. Carrying to term is a choice that we do not regret, and we cherish the nearly 17 hours we spent with Timmy.

Timmy is by far the bravest, strongest individual we have ever known. It has been an absolute honor to have been chosen as his parents. We will hold him in our hearts until we can hold him in Heaven. As we’ve heard it said, what is grief if not love persevering?