Parenting With No Children: Our Fight for Answers After Losing Our Son Ryder episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 16, 2026 · 23 MIN

Parenting With No Children: Our Fight for Answers After Losing Our Son Ryder

from What Happens Next: Stories of Grief and Loss | Ryder’s Story · host Nick Mendelke - Parenting After Loss

The storm of Ryder’s death didn’t end at the hospital. In this episode, I talk about what happened after we walked out without our son—the grief, the anger, and the questions that followed us home. Those questions eventually led us to fight to have Ryder’s case reopened by the medical examiner, searching for answers in the middle of unimaginable loss.

In this episode, a father shares the devastating reality of leaving the hospital without his son and the first moments of navigating life as a loss dad. It’s a raw look at the shock, grief, and early steps in the grief journey after losing a child.

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Parenting With No Children: Our Fight for Answers After Losing Our Son Ryder

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How long is this episode of What Happens Next: Stories of Grief and Loss | Ryder’s Story?

This episode is 23 minutes long.

When was this What Happens Next: Stories of Grief and Loss | Ryder’s Story episode published?

This episode was published on March 16, 2026.

What is this episode about?

The storm of Ryder’s death didn’t end at the hospital. In this episode, I talk about what happened after we walked out without our son—the grief, the anger, and the questions that followed us home. Those questions eventually led us to fight to have...

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