Weary & Burdened

Sometimes for there to be a beginning, an end must precede it. My story with David is an example of this. There's never an end to our story or even the telling of it but it changes and morph into something different. The serial nature of the Weary & Burdened podcast and the accompanying recollection of our time in the NICU and months following his death will come to an end with this episode. This end makes way for an episodic format with stand-alone podcasts.

In search of closure, formalizing a goodbye became almost an obsession. This was yet another attempt to find some resolution to my grief.

There are Many Firsts Following a Loss and They're ALWAYS Hard. Listen in as I Reflect on David's Missed Due Date.

Each story has many sides but Weary & Burdened recounted only one. In this episode, the words of others are shared to highlight their viewpoint.

After time passes we have the opportunity to reflect on what we've experienced. This episode of the Weary & Burdened podcast highlights some of the lessons I learned while on my journey with David.

Saying, "Goodbye," is an important part of the healing process. This episode provides a recounting of David's memorial and a reading of his eulogy.

Life after loss is a jumble of days passing unnoticed. It's like living in a fog, you don't attend to all that's going on around you. It's just about surviving.

Following the death of David, the Onyango family made the long drive back home. It was a transition marked by shock and heartbreak. They never expected to find themselves at home without him.

No parent should EVER have to make the choices we did on January 4th, 2012. No parent should have to endure such heart break. No parent should have to give back such a gift.

The Hardest Part of a Loss is Different for Everyone. In this Story, the Knowing was the Most Haunting Part.

With the New Year starting, the family was hoping 2012 would bring with it a new and more relaxing phase of life.

You can only hold it together for so long. The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season caused everyone in the Onyango family to feel exhausted and over-extended.

Time in the NICU is hard at the best of times but it felt more foreign during the Christmas holidays.

David experienced a medical mystery that would have made an excellent episode of House.

The most welcomed sight in the NICU is a small placard with a bluebird on it. It signals the milestone of NICU release. Many bluebirds were spotted in early December 2011.

Time in the NICU continues but where's the warning pointing to the danger ahead? Although she looks back in reflection to pinpoint the moment things went South, Michelle, cannot find it.

After many hard days in the NICU, Michelle Onyango and her premature son, David, can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Follow a mom and her 24 weeker preemie in the BC NICU through one of their good days.

A recollection of memories by mother and counsellor, Michelle Onyango, about her time in the NICU with her son, David.

A journey through grief and loss with a counsellor and mom.