Survived Christmas

We setup a Christmas tree and decorations for Tommy.  At first I thought it was silly to decorate a grave.  But I quickly came around and we were decorating with a fury.  I realize that I feel a really strong need to do things for Tommy, even now.

We made it through Christmas in one piece.  A big thanks to my family & friends who made a lot of adjustments to our usual Christmas traditions to accommodate us.

My new life as a SUDC parent / One Month Anniversary

My son Thomas passed away sometime after Thanksgiving dinner, 2012.  His case was one of SUDC which means that the cause of death is unknown.  He was 1 year, 5 months, and 13 days old.

Tommy was a healthy, happy boy who never stopped exploring.  He was best known for his energy, curiosity and warm spirit.  My dad wrote that he "is exploring all the nooks and crannies of Heaven" -- and if you knew Tommy, you would grin upon reading that.

SUDC is extraordinarily rare.  You have better chance of winning the California lottery than losing a child to SUDC.  Yes, it is that rare.  It makes it quite hard to accept.

Just two days ago we passed the one month anniversary of his death.  Today is Christmas eve.  I've been wanting to get this blog started for a long time, but just haven't been able to get to it.  This is one of my Christmas presents to my son.  Eu te amo Tommy, muito muito muito.

THOMAS TAKEO CHINEN

June 10, 2011 - November 23, 2012