Losing a child is one of the most painful and difficult life events a parent can ever face. For most, that deep seated fear of losing a child never happens, but for others, it is a brutal reality that they are thrust into and must figure out how to survive, eventually moving on with their lives WITHOUT their beloved child.

We at Lipstick Wisdom (www.lipstickwisdom.com) produced a series of powerful and very personal videos on this topic to help women and families who face this most difficult challenge. Our hope is to offer comfort, support, and guidance to those suffering this deep loss. Three families poignantly share their stories of how their children died, how they pulled through their suffering, and eventually moved forward with their lives.

The mothers in the videos lost children who were different ages and to very different circumstances: a newborn daughter with an illness, a school age son who hung himself, and a college age son who was murdered. Yet, no matter what the child’s age or the circumstance, each mother and family had to move through similar emotions of shock, agonizing grief, anger, anguish and years of suffering to finally find their own personal way of coping and moving forward.

The expert in the fourth video, Dan Gottlieb, is a renowned author and expert on grief and healing. Suffering his own losses in life and counseling thousands of others, Dan speaks from experience and from the heart, as he offers practical advice on how to cope with the loss of a child.

As a mother of four children, myself, who has lost a full term baby shortly before birth, I have encountered my own journey of loss and know how dark that journey can be. At that time, kind words from friends and books offered the only solace, the internet and web videos didn’t exist. To have watched and listened to other mothers who had lived my pain and “knew” it firsthand, would have been immensely helpful. My hope is that our Lipstick Wisdom videos will touch you, whether you have lost a child or not, and will encourage you to share the powerful knowledge that these brave women share, with your friends and loved ones who suffer the loss of a child.

Eleanor’s son, Peter, inexplicably killed himself at age 10. Eleanor shares how she found the strength to go on with the help of family, friends, and a grief counselor who explained that a grieving mother will be able to go on if they view the day of the child’s death as the first day of their new life. Nothing will ever be the same. Eleanor, with the help of family and friends, established a grief center, Peter’s Place, to honor her son. This is a Lipstick Wisdom produced video. Run time of 4:54.

Please share this video with family and friends by pressing the “Share This” button.

Meghan Janicki was born at 32 weeks in an emergency delivery and had to immediately be put on life support. Meghan died a short while later. Meghan’s mom, Monica, discusses life after losing her infant and the joy and sorrow she feels now that she has gone on to give birth to a healthy baby girl. This is a Lipstick Wisdom produced video. Run time of 3:16.

Please share this video with family and friends by clicking on “Share This”.

The mother lost her son at the age of 32 when he, an adventurer, fell off of a mountain. She shares her journey, what she has learned and advice for others who have lost a child.

When a baby is destined to die
Perinatal hospices support families with a terminal prenatal diagnosis

The Deibert’s son, Robbie, was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 while still in the womb. The Deibert’s knew that their son would not live long once he was born. They developed a detailed birth plan which stated that “Robbie’s life will be lived with love and honor.”

Jeanne Deibert knew as soon as she saw the ultrasound.

It didn’t matter that the doctor told her that what looked on the screen like pockets in her son’s brain would likely disappear as he got closer to birth. That things were probably fine. That she shouldn’t worry too much about her baby.

She was his mother. And she felt certain that something was wrong.
Read the rest of this entry »

The mother of a 13-year-old Missouri girl who committed suicide after receiving cruel Internet messages is focusing on ways to protect other children from cyber-bullying. Tina Meier says her life has “done a 360″ since her 13-year-old daughter took her own life after being bullied online.

The mother of a 13-year-old Missouri girl who committed suicide after receiving cruel Internet messages is focusing on ways to protect other children from cyber-bullying. Tina Meier says her life has “done a 360″ since her 13-year-old daughter took her own life after being bullied online. NOTHING IS THE WAY IT USED TO BE. AFTER MEGAN PASSED, I WAS JUST IN A FOG (TINA MEIER/MOTHER). Now she’s working to turn the tragedy into something positive. I KNEW I HAD TO TAKE ALL OF THE ANGER AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND TURN IT INTO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IT NOT, IT WAS GOING TO EAT ME ALIVE. The Missouri mother has set up a foundation in her daughter’s memory that focuses on bullying and cyber-bullying. I’M KEEPING HER MEMORY NOT B/C I CAN’T LET HER GO BUT IF TRYING TO SOMETHING WRONG HAS HAPPENED AND A RIGHT HAS TO BE MADE TO PROTECT OTHER CHILDREN THROUGH LEGISLATIVE OR TALKING TO OTHER KIDS, THAT’S WHAT I’M GOING TO DO. Megan Meier– who had a history of attention deficit disorder and depression– hanged herself on October 6th, 2006. She died the following day. The teen committed suicide shortly after receiving cruel messages on MySpace from a boy named Josh Evans. But weeks after Megan’s death, her family found out Evan’s online profile was allegedly made up by a neighbor. It’s believed Lori Drew helped create the account to find out if Megan was talking about her own child. Drew’s lawyer previously denied the claims, but his client has since been indicted. SHE KNEW ABOUT THE ACCOUNT, SHE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON. AND IT WAS A JOKE, IT WAS FUNNY. AGAIN, I DON’T BELIEVE SHE KNEW MEGAN WOULD COMMIT SUICIDE BUT WHEN YOU DO THESE TYPES OF THINGS, THIS CAN HAPPEN. Tina Meier says her daughter was a real girl, with real dreams. And she hopes by sharing her story no other family will have to endure the pain that her family has.

If you knew you only had moments of life left to live…what would you choose as your last words?… This video shares Matthew’s last words to his dad.

Hannah died in her sleep one night. She was 1 1/2 years old. Her mother – my sister – misses her deeply. She feels like she is disappearing…

Dr. Dan Gottlieb is a renowned psychologist and three time author of books on grief and healing. He also hosts a NPR show, “Voices in the Family.” Dr. Gottlieb offers his insights on how best to cope and heal with the loss of a child. This is a Lipstick Wisdom produced video. Run Time of 3:16.

Please share this video with family and friends by clicking on “Share This”.

A Photographer Helps Families Heal

The loss of a child is tragic, but one company is helping moms and dads remember their precious little one with beautiful photos. NBC’s Kerry Sanders reports.