Olivia: Grieving for a Child
Editor's Note: this is one of three songs by Nathan Peterson we will be publishing. We believe they are profoundly moving, especially for those who have experienced the loss of a child
Nathan and Heather had a baby with Trisomy 18, also called Edwards Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder, which is terminal. They were told to plan for her funeral when they went to have her in the hospital. They did not think she
 would live till her birth. Olivia did live. She defied what the doctors said. And instead of dying on the first day, or the first week, or month, she lived till her first birthday. Then at 14 months she got sick. She recovered but when she got sick again, she was not strong enough.
When asked why they named her Olivia, her brother said, "because it has the word life in it. O liv i a. We want her to live."
Nathan wrote a book following her death called "Dance Again." His first book "So Am I" was about their life with Olivia and about facing fears.
To hear the song "Olivia" click the image below:
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Every Thursday we publish "AfterTalk Inspirational." We invite readers to submit their own poem, essay, or suggestions for inspirational quotes for publication. If you are a therapist you are welcome to extend this invitation to your clients as well. Please send your submission to [email protected]
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Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD...
...is one of the foremost authorities on bereavement and grief. We are honored to host a weekly question and answer column authored by Dr.
 Neimeyer. We invite you to ask questions with the security of anonymity and confidentiality. Simply email your question to [email protected] or click this link:
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