Critical Junctures - Navigating the loss of a child

Send a textJamilyn Hull was living her life on mission. She lived her 26 years of life with purpose and in the service of others. David Hull discusses his grief journey and memories of his daughter who died in a tragic automobile accident. Jamilyn in her own words on the purpose and direction of her life.“I spent almost two weeks in Israel walking places where Jesus walked and getting my eyes on places I had only read about in my Bible. One of my favorite places was Gethsemane. This place looked completely different than I had envisioned it in my mind. Yet it is the place where my Lord said "YES" to the largest and most unimaginable task. It's the place where He wrestled with His humanness but ultimately chose us. It's where He chose me. His "YES" on this Mount of Olives changed history.His "YES" made a way for me to be new. His "YES" washed away my crimson stains. His "YES" broke any bondage that would ever try to overtake me. His "YES" places me in the presence of a Prodigal Father. His "YES" forever changes my identity. His "YES" gave me life. His "YES" overwhelms me. It demands a response. I still wrestle with my humanness but praise God that with His strength, I now have the freedom to say "YES".My assignments in this life might change from season to season, but my calling will always be to say "YES", no matter what He asks.”-Jamilyn Hull, 2014

Send a text The power of being present. John Newton the Care Pastor of Northview Church talks about how important it is to be present for a parent in time of grief. John offers some practical steps for dealing with long term grief. It is important to understand that grief from the loss of a child is normal and will last a lifetime. John shared the importance of utilizing resources that can help better understand grief and how to manage it. John provided a list of resources for parents dealing with grief. Resources for parents who have lost a childFocus on the Family – Offers free counseling and a network of Christian counselors for ongoing support.Ian’s Place – Provides a safe space with support groups, bible studies, and resources for parents grieving loss, including loss to addiction.Red Bird Ministries – Systematically guides families through the trauma of child loss (miscarriage, still birth, etc.) with faith-based support.Umbrella Ministries – A network of mothers supporting other mothers through mentoring, care groups, and retreats.The Compassionate Friends – A large well-regarded organization offering support for families grieving a child’s death.SHARE (Pregnancy & Infant loss support) – Offers support for loss from miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death, with faith-based materials.M.E.N.D. (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death) – A Christian non-profit reaching out to families who have suffered the loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death.GriefShare – A network of thousands of local support groups hosted by churches. They offer a 13-week seminar/support group featuring videos from experts and small group discussions.Association of Certified Biblical Counselors – Provides a directory to find certified biblical counselors who focus on scripture-based guidance for deep grief.Book RecommendationsEmpty ArmsAn Empty CradleA Full HeartI’ll Hold you in HeavenChoosing to seeGrieving the Child I Never KnewSafe in the Arms of GodI will Carry YouA Grace Disguised

Send a text2026 starts a new chapter. This episode of Critical Junctures we look at what plans we have for the podcast in 2026, a recap of 2025 and an ask of listeners to help get the podcast out to others.In 2025 the podcast was downloaded in 26 countries. That is with no promotion. Apple Podcasts were the way 73% of people found the podcast.We have received notes from parents that appreciated the stories of other parents and how it has helped their grief journey.My ask of anyone listing is that you follow us on Facebook, download a podcast, listen to a YouTube episode. Any likes, subscribes, follows all help the podcast gain a greater reach.For 2026 we plan on a video interview each month and several podcast episodes a month.Thank you to everyone that has liked, liked to, downloaded, watched an episode, or recommended the podcast to a friend. Looking forward in 2026 to impacting more lives of parents in a positive way who have lost a child.

Send a text Have you ever thought about how Mary, the mother of Jesus felt on his 34th birthday? It is Christmas time and we celebrate the birth of Christ, the savior of the world. We talk about Mary, Joseph and the Immaculate Conception, the story of the birth in a manger in Bethlehem, we celebrate God becoming human to take on our sins.Mary and Joseph were human parents excited for the arrival of their new baby. But as we all know, baby arrivals come with a gamut of emotions; Love, fear, hope, concern.  Welcome to the Critical Junctures Podcast where we discuss the emotional impact of parents who have lost a child. This season of the year we celebrate Christmas and looking forward to what a new year will bring. We wish all of you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, but this season can create bouts of grief where we intensely miss our departed child. A few days ago I flew back to Indiana from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and while in flight I was listening to music on my headphones. A live version Song by Elevation Worship came on called Jireh.It is about Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide. There's a line in the song that says I will be content in every circumstance. At first, when I heard it felt very powerful and satisfying to connect with those words. I'm very thankful for the people and all the blessings of my life. But as I listened to those words several times stating I will be content in every circumstance, that word every kept growing with importance.I realized I'm not content in every circumstance. I believe with all my being, that I will be reunited with my son one day and live without hope, but as a father, as a human with emotions. Grief is a very real part of life. I miss my son every day. Navigating that grief at times can be challenging, especially around the holidays, and as much as I want to be content in every circumstance, it's challenging to get there.It made me wonder what human emotions Mary, the mother of Christ felt on his 34th birthday. Mary was a human mother who lost a child like many of us. She was no longer able to physically touch her son, hug her son Mary. The revered mother of Christ would've had the same emotions and feelings that most of us experience.That overwhelming grief that results from your flesh and blood taken away too soon. Most scholars believe Mary lived 11 years after Jesus' death. I believe Mary experienced the same enduring grief over those 11 years that we experience every day. Just like Mary, the grief can coexist with peace and contentment during this holiday season.As you spend time with family and friends, here are some suggestions that might help ease the grief. My friend Dr. Wally Osuntokun, in an earlier episode talked about how he talks about his son in the present tense. You might set a place for them at the table, put a picture in a place of high visibility, play a positive memory on video that they're in.For me, it has been helpful to face the grief with positive memories of my son. Some of you during this season will struggle with intense grief. Please do not do it alone. Reach out to family, friends, neighbors, a church, or a number of other great support organizations. Serving others during the holiday season can help reduce the feelings of grief.Throughout this season, I'm going to be more intentional with the people I love the most. Prioritizing the people who are most important in my life. My hope and prayer is that you find peace this season, and if overwhelming grief strikes that you can embrace it, accept that it is normal, and focus the grief into loving memories of the time you spent with your child. We will be saying prayers as a family for all you parents who have lost a child. As we pray for you, we will gladly welcome prayers for us as we all navigate the loss of a child together. Have a wonderful

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Send a text Hello and welcome back to the Critical Junctures Podcast. Wanted to give you an update on what's been going on with the podcast, the last few weeks. We've taken a break with it just for some unexpected life events. Some of you may be aware, my youngest brother passed away and. That's just taken a lot of time that we've spent with family and helping with the arrangements as they were made and just projects that unexpectedly needed to be finalized.Then my wife and I also have a long vacation that we've planned for a couple years. That takes us to a number of countries in Europe. So we decided to just take a break with the podcast and start back roughly toward the end of September. We'll be back on track to hopefully be every week. But just a couple of things we've really learned through this podcast is.Just the depth of grief and hurt that you find with so many people, and some of 'em you look at and you wouldn't know how this grief has affected them, but every one of us that's lost a child is fully aware of that pain that you feel inside. And I've had a number of conversations with. Friends, acquaintances that we've discussed this podcast and how we could help others that are going through it.And one big discovery was there are people that have been 10, 20, some of them even 30 plus years that have lost a child. And the grief is still incredibly challenging for them to even talk about it. And. So I really feel there's a an incredible need to continue these communications and interviews.And we have a number of people lined up that will share their stories. And I think it's really important when you go through these, every single person. Has a significant amount of grief they carry in these and just in life in general. It has a lot of ups and there's a lot of great things to life and so many exciting things, and that's typically what people talk about.You see the Instagram and Facebook posts of all the really great things that go on, and there are a lot of great things that go on in life. But what is much more challenging to not only talk about and express, but even to listen to, is all the challenges that come with just the uncertainty of life.In a moment's notice life can be gone. I had a coworker that not too long ago went into the hospital. He was mid fifties and. It never came out and left a family and it was a medical condition that, again, no one's guaranteed of life. And so we're gonna really, again, continue to dive into these interviews with people and let them share their experience.I really appreciated the people that have shared. Their depth of how they've opened up and been very transparent has, from comments that I've received back, have just been incredibly helpful that the stories they share, because some of 'em on the outside, you'd look at their families and you go.They're just, that's what I'd like my family to be. And in many cases, yes, that is true. They are phenomenal people, but the depth of hurt, of the loss of a child is, it's staggering. And appreciate the continued support with this. And like I said, toward the end of September, we will get back on a schedule that's a weekly release.And look forward to you guys joining us on this journey. Thank you.

Send a textChris Burton talks about the loss of his son Zach. Zach grew up playing sports and was an outstanding football player. He was loved by everyone and was a special young man. In college he and a friend tried oxycodone and became addicted. Some people have genes in their body that just trying a drug like oxycodone and it creates instant addiction. Chris and his wife Jennifer along with their family started a foundation to help others that are going through addictions.  Zach43foundation.com helps other people who have found themselves addicted to an opioid and they are raising awareness to overcome the stigma of an addition. Zach was lost to an accidental overdose from a pill that had been laced with fentanyl.Chris talks about the ways they remember Zach and all the special times they had together. Their family’s faith in God gives them an assurance that they will be together with Zach again. They experience God winks that let them know Zach is close.

Send a textApril Babcock lost her son Austen to illicit fentanyl. Illicit fentanyl is a deadly drug that most people taking it think they are taking something else. April share’s her story of being in such pain after the loss of her son that she did not want life to go on. After 18 months of intense grief and going to God for help she has taken her pain and made it into a purpose. She founded a group called Lost Voices of Fentanyl  https://lvof.org . She has made her life a mission to stop the supply of Fentanyl coming into the US from China and Mexico. Her Facebook group has over 36,000 member and they hold a rally in Washington, DC every year to push lawmakers into acting to stem the flow of fentanyl into the US. She has made it clear that she is fighting against fentanyl to save our children so that no other family has to suffer a loss like hers. The grief, pain and loneliness of losing a child never goes away but turning that pain in to purpose young people’s lives are being saved. If you are interested in supporting Lost Voices of Fentanyl you can contact April at lvof.org.

Send a textTony & Kelly Trent discuss their journey of grief after the loss of their son Tyler to a rare bone cancer. Tyler’s story is unique in that his story went national. Tyler’s story has been told on TV, videos, articles and a book. He is still an inspiration to millions and his name and likeness continues to raise millions of dollars for pediatric cancer research through the Tyler Trent Foundation. The Trent’s have been so thankful for all the care and love shown to their family. At the same time, they are grieving parents. Like all of us who have lost a child there is a grieving process that can take you to dark places in life. Tony and Kelly talk about the impacts the grief took on their personal lives and their family. Their willingness to candidly share their personal story of grief aligns with what so many of us have experienced. As Kelly say’s “grief is brutal”. Grief is personal for each of us. The support people in life that show up in unexpected ways can help impact the recovery. Tony and Kelly, like most of us that have lost a child, are a work in progress on the recovery journey. Their story reflects the dichotomy of conflicting views that can both be true at the same time. An outside look at their life may view all the positives that have come as a result of Tyler’s journey, which is true. The other side that is also true, is the personal grief and pain that loss of Tyler has impacted on their family and personal life.  That journey of grief has altered their lives forever.Their story is inspiring that over time the strongest fundamental core values in life can guide you on the road to recovery. For the Trent’s; faith in God, marriage, their family and a mission to eradicate the cancer that took Tyler life have helped keep their focus on the most important things in life. The road to recovery is long and challenging with daily obstacles and grief that can smack you at any moment. To learn more about the Tyler Trent Foundation go to https://tylertrentfoundation.com 

Send a textA father reflects on his son, who lived doing everything in life the right way. It was a reflection of a family that lived by faith, mission, purpose, hard work and love. A role model young man from a role model family and tragedy strikes through a medical condition. Wale brings a unique perspective as a father and trained medical professional. Wale is a  psychiatrist and his wife Ann is a pediatrician. Wale describes his son passing while on the phone with them in the middle of the night over 700 miles away. It was later discovered that Kayode passed from an undiagnosable deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that caused death, through a pulmonary embolism (PE).Kayode was several months from finishing his master degree. He was a disciplined young man in mind, body and soul. He was working toward goals in life that encompassed  a sense of purpose and impact larger than himself. Wale discusses how their family bonds have helped them support each other as they work through the grief of losing Kayode. Family, friends, co-workers and a faith in Christ have helped in the recovery process. Navigating their grief is a work in progress for Wale and the entire family. 

Send a textWelcome to the Critical Junctures Podcast. This podcast is for parents who have lost a child and are navigating the loss of that child. Today is our first official release of the podcast and website. This is the five-year anniversary. Of my son's passing. A few days before my son's passing, he looked at me and asked the question, Dad, did my life really matter?And as a father, you look and go, you can't imagine how much your life mattered to the people that you touched. It reminds me of a message we heard at church from a guest speaker who came and talked about the brevity of life, the brevity of life, the brevity of life. They told a story about visiting a grave site of his ancestors who laid a foundation for his grandparents and his parents and his children and his future grandchildren. Every person in life has an impact on someone else. Sometimes those lives are cut short, and their impact is for a lesser amount of time, but no less impact. I am doing this initial podcast from the grave sites of both my father and my son.  My father's passing was very difficult for me. He had been involved in every aspect of my life. Every major event that I had, he was there for it. But that's the natural progression, children bury parents. It shouldn't be the parents bury children, but the reality of life is that does happen, and it happens more often than we'd like to believe. There's a number of stories that we're going to be sharing on the podcast of parents who have lost children.They've lost them through accidents. They've lost them through drug overdoses. They've lost them through medical conditions, through cancer, similar to, to Richy's. They've lost them to suicide. They've lost them in war, lost them to criminal acts where they were murdered. All of those losses are incredibly traumatic, but the grief is a similar grief shared by all parents who have lost a child. Losing a child does not make a difference if you're wealthy, poor, middle class, if you have the greatest job in the world, or if you don't have a job, it doesn't matter. Economic status, it doesn't matter. All of the fortunate things or unfortunate things that have happened in a life, when that death comes to a child, it's a grief that's enduring that every parent goes through.My hope in this podcast is that we can share. Through the stories and shared experiences of others who have gone through it, ways that help you understand that you're not alone in it. A lot of times, death of a child is very isolating. When the child's lost, there's a lot of people there that are supporting you. They're there for comfort. They're there to celebrate the life with you and share in your emotion and, support. But the loss of a child goes on, and a year from now, five years from now, can be very isolating and lonely. There are parents that are 20 years removed from the loss of a child, still struggle to talk about it. Don't want anyone to ask. It's not about not remembering their child, but that pain is still so powerful in their life that it can be overwhelming. Theirs’s other parents you'll see that have taken that grief and turned it into missions. Missions to eradicate pediatric cancer, missions to eliminate fentanyl coming into the country, missions to stop violence before it can happen. Ones that can stop drugs from being shared in our communities that take lives. So, all of these stories are each person's unique journey and each parent's unique journey. But the common thread for all of us is that grief never goes away. This week in our neighborhood, I saw celebrations of both high school and college graduations. There have been babies born, weddings happen, anniversary celebrations, even events that you remember for a long time with great, just positive memories. Indiana University getting to play my beloved Notre Dame fo

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Send a textLoss of a child creates enduring grief in 93% of parents. We have lost a child and this is our story of love, loss and navigating the grief. We created Critical Junctures - Navigating the loss of Child Podcast to help other parents navigate the loss through our shared experiences. The podcast will focus on interviews of parents who have had to deal with similar experiences. Lessons they have learned through the lens of time can provide help with navigating this deep hurt and impactful loss. Our prayer is that you will find comfort, a sense of peace, and hope through the shared experiences of other parents.

Send a textParents who lose a child face one of the most traumatic experiences in life. The purpose of this podcast is to share with others who have lost a child that there is recovery. Hope critical junctures will explore the choices that grieving parents have made to determine the course of their future life, the loss of a child.Can affect mental health, relationships, marriage, other children, friends, jobs, hobbies, outlook of the future. Loss of a child can create an emotional, physical, and psychological effects that last a lifetime. Critical junctures is defined as a critical turning point or important moment in time, often marked by a confluence of circumstances.Where decision, choice, or action can have significant impact on the future. My name is Rick Williams and I'm not recovered from the loss of my son and do not believe I ever will. He passed away almost five years ago, and I had many years prior to his passing to make peace with the inevitable death from a rare cancer.In no way am I saying that we have figured out a magic formula to minimize the grief and trauma of losing a child. We have found intentional ways to honor our child's memory while finding peace and joy and living in the present. In critical junctures, we be sharing and interviewing other parents who have had some time and space from the loss of their child.They'll be sharing insights and lessons they have learned about ways to cope with the loss. We all still feel the sting of that loss and it will never leave. You can live a life of peace and fulfillment, still mourning your loss, but learning to celebrate the life and time you had with your child. For us, we've realized how important the support people in our life have been through this journey from family, friends, pastors, work associates, caregivers, and even pets. Their support has had a significant impact in our recovery journey. On this podcast we will talk about and interview some of these extraordinary people whose gift of time and acts of kindness have been so impactful. Losses come in many forms for us. A rare cancer took our son and we'll explore his journey and how it changed our perspective of life priorities.  Others have lost a child in an instant. All of our stories are unique, but in the end, we all have the same impacts of a child that is no longer with us. Most of the podcasts will focus on the recovery journey view through the lens of time and space. If you've lost a child, our prayers are with you beyond the impact of the loss of the child. There are other immediate impacts that parents deal with depending on the age of their child. My son was 29 when he passed. And through his long bout with cancer, we were able, prior to his passing to financially plan for the impact of his passing, put a will together and address many important topics. Even with our time to plan, there were many items and expenses we had not contemplated. We are building a website, critical junctures.com that helps parents navigate these added challenges while dealing with the unimaginable grief. This will be a work in progress that we will continue to build as a resource for parents of all ages. These types of stressors on top of grief can add to mental health challenges of the loss and long-term recovery. As we start this podcast, our hope is that your journey will be helped by the stories of others who've had to navigate this loss. All of our stories are unique to us, but we all have experienced common threads that provide life lessons. To lessen the recovery time, please share with anyone you believe would benefit from the messages of the Critical Junctures podcast. The official release date of Critical Junctures podcast will be June 1st, 2025 with a regular schedule of episode releases to follow. Subscribing and sharing will help us connect wi

Send a textThe moment a doctor diagnoses your child with an incurable cancer marks a dividing line in life—everything that came before, and everything that follows. For our family, learning about Richy's alveolar soft part sarcoma transformed our world completely. But what emerged from that devastating news was a remarkable nine-year journey that taught us profound lessons about living in the face of death.This raw, emotional episode chronicles Richy's story—from his ambitious plans for studying in China and building a future, to the painful reality of clinical trials, increasing limitations, and eventually hospice care. Yet through it all runs a powerful thread of determination. When faced with his diagnosis, Richy embodied the line from Shawshank Redemption: "You either get busy living or get busy dying." He chose living, continuing to travel to national parks, Disney World, and numerous adventures with his beloved dog Lexi by his side.What makes this story extraordinary isn't just Richy's courage in facing terminal illness, but the peace and purpose he maintained throughout. Despite excruciating pain from treatments and the cancer itself, "you never heard him complain." Even as his body failed him, his spirit remained strong—culminating in his decision to be baptized during the pandemic, surrounded by family and friends in a deeply moving ceremony.The true heart of this podcast, however, lies beyond Richy's passing in June 2020. How does a family continue after such profound loss? How do we keep someone's memory alive for future generations? Nearly five years later, we're sharing our ongoing journey of grief, healing, and finding unexpected joy in remembering. Because while losing a child creates an irreplaceable void, we've discovered that hope persists—and that honoring a loved one's memory can become a powerful foundation for moving forward.If you're walking through grief or supporting someone who is, this series offers not just our story, but practical insights on navigating life after devastating loss. Because even in our darkest moments, there remains the possibility of light breaking through.

Send a textMy son loved travel. A business trip that took me to the Middle East, North Africa and Europe would have created conversations for months. During my travel, thinking of how much Richy would have enjoyed the conversations and discussions. He is no longer with us but his passion for travel and learn about cultures, geography, religion, politics and the things that shape a region, country or city. He would have loved the discussion. These memories of our time together talking on these subjects allow me to treasure even more these trips and create such fond memories of my son.