At our tournament this year we will have a baby remembrance of babies that our foundation has helped, or that we have met along our journey of establishing and running the foundation.  We believe it is important to share their stories and say their names.

Today we are remembering precious Issac.  Issac’s Mommy Brittany, has recently launched the East Texas Hope Mommies Chapter.  Brittany has the biggest heart helping other loss mommies in East Texas area.

Issac Kole Cleveland

July 11, 2017-July 14, 2017

“At 33 weeks and 5 days (July 10, 2017), I went into the hospital just feeling weird, and wanting to get checked on. Issac’s heart rate would go down occasionally so the doctor kept us hooked up to the monitor. They ended up taking me in for an emergency c-section, and at 1:51 am, on July 11, 2017 Issac Kole Cleveland was born. He was blue and not breathing on his own, thankfully the neonatologist was able to get medicine to him that helped. He was transferred to the NICU in Odessa, and we were left in the hospital room without him. We got updates daily from the doctors at the hospital and doctors at the NICU, sometimes they would be good, sometimes they would say certain things needed to happen to make other levels look better. When I was finally released, we went to Odessa and were finally together as a family. He was hooked up to all kinds of machines and wires were everywhere, making it impossible for either of us to just pick him up and hold him. A day later, the doctor told us that there was no coming back from what had happened. Issac had gone too long without oxygen getting to his brain, and the machines were the only thing keeping him alive. Together, with our parents and my brother, we went in, held our boy for what would be the first and the last time, took pictures with him and tearfully said our good-byes. At 11:27 p.m. on Friday July 14, 2017, our boy opened his eyes for the first time and saw Jesus. He never had to experience hurt or heartbreak on this earth, but oh how our hearts long for him to be here with us. What a wonderful day it will be when we get to see him again in eternity.

I miss not getting to see him grow up. I wonder what he would be interested in, his favorite foods, what his personality would be like; everything. I wish I was getting to go through the everyday life with him….even the hard days.  I handle my grief through prayer and trust that God is good, always, even if there are tears. I’m thankful that because of Issac, I can still carry his memory on, and that I can show others who have experienced a loss what God’s love looks like.

Emotionally, we were at our lowest point. Everything that we were expecting instantly changed, and it felt as if it were all just a bad dream. My husband and I grew closer and stronger than ever before, through the tears and devastation. There were so many big expenses having to be paid immediately, while we were still even trying to process what had just happened. It blew my mind at how much things cost (I had never had to look into things like this, before our loss), and it really seemed to make things that much worse. Not only was our son gone, but so was money we had set aside for him as well.

The Rhett Sullivan Foundation helped our family by providing the full payment for Issac’s headstone. We had waited 2 years before ordering it, because not only did we not know exactly what we wanted on it, but because we knew it was going to be an expensive purchase. When we found out that they were covering the full price, tears filled my eyes. I never imagined they’d fully fund it for us, but it was such a huge blessing. We truly can’t thank them enough.”

~Issac’s Mommy

At our tournament this year we will have a baby remembrance of babies that our foundation has helped, or that we have met along our journey of establishing and running the foundation.  We believe it is important to share their stories and say their names.

We are remembering Cullin today, his mommy, Ginny, has been helping others grieve through creative grief initiatives. Her organization Scared Sidless helps to support bereaved families.  Every time she posts a creative grief saying it gives me a moment to reflect and I am sure it does for others. This is Cullin’s story…. 

Cullin Darden Limer

March 28, 2012- October 1, 2012

“Cullin was such a special baby, he said “I love you” without words.  Cullin died from SIDS on October 1, 2012.  Cullin is deeply missed by all his family and especially by his brothers and sisters. I wonder what he would be like today as a seven year old boy.  Emotionally, we were a mess after we lost Cullin.  We went to The Warm Place numerous times and all of us liked the punching bag room the most. Our family also channels our pain into passion by helping others.  Financially, if it weren’t for the help of others, we would not have had a proper burial, casket or headstone for Cullin. Generous donations allowed me to miss work for a few weeks, but without their financial support, it wouldn’t have been impossible. 

I think the Rhett Sullivan Foundation can help families when financial help is needed the most.  When you lose a child, the last thing you want to worry about is the expense of it all.” 

~Cullin’s Mommy

At our tournament this year we will have a baby remembrance of babies that our foundation has helped, or that we have met along our journey of establishing and running the foundation.  We believe it is important to share their stories and say their names.

Today we are remembering Johnny.  I met Johnny’s Mommy, Erin, through Hope Mommies. She is so sweet to share her experiences after losing Johnny to help others of loss. Erin has also donated her time and talent of designing all our signage for the golf tournament! This is Johnny’s story….

John David Browning V

July 22 2016 – July 24, 2016

“I was 30 weeks pregnant and had just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The doctor had asked that I start coming in weekly. On my 1st weekly appointment, the doctor sent me to the hospital for observation as she noticed Johnny’s heart was having some deceleration. I went to the hospital and my husband and daughter met me there. I was set to be there all weekend so I sent my husband and daughter home. I settled in, ate some dinner, and tried to get some rest. In the middle of the night, they came and said they had to take the baby immediately because his heart rate had dropped. So, all alone and scared, I was put under so they could save my baby’s life. He had to be resuscitated immediately after delivery and placed in the NICU to treat Hydrops Fetalis (fluid that was threatening to collapse his underdeveloped organs), where I was told he would stay until his due date. For 2 days, more issues developed. He had a hole in his heart and down syndrome. All efforts to remove the fluid and help him thrive were exhausted and they decided that he would not survive being transported to a higher level NICU. Finally, they told us that any more efforts would just cause more damage to his brain and most likely leave him with no quality of life. We made the painful decision to take him off life support and hold him for the first time as he drew his last breaths.

We missed out on a full life with our son and many milestones that we’ll never experience.  I handle my grief by remembering he is no longer struggling or in pain and is with Jesus in his perfect body. I look to the hope that I will see my son again in Heaven and get to spend eternity with him and our Savior.  I feel like I have been parenting Johnny’s older sister through a veil of fear and sadness that she does not deserve. Emotionally, my husband and I have struggled, but our faith has brought us through the fog.  Financially we were fortunate that my husband has a great job, so while it was expensive, we did not struggle too much financially.

I think the Rhett Sullivan foundation is an amazing support for families that are already struggling emotionally and shouldn’t have to think about how they will afford the funeral expenses plus being able to give their baby a proper memorial/funeral is so important.”

~Johnny’s Mommy

At our tournament this year we will have a baby remembrance of babies that our foundation has helped, or that we have met along our journey of establishing and running the foundation.  We believe it is important to share their stories and say their names.

We are remembering the precious Talia today.  I felt an instant connection with Talia’s Mommy, Chelsea, when I met her.  She shared her journey of being a mom to her other children after loss and the many ideas she has to honor Talia with her talents.  She is also donating her time and talent to take pictures at the Rhett Sullivan Foundation Golf Tournament. We thank you and looking forward to having you at the tournament.  This is Talia’s story….

Talia Joy Schwartz

June 4, 2019

Talia was our 6th baby. We were all so very excited, as she would be the first girl after 3 boys for us, and the first girl grandchild after 5 boys for the family. I was closely monitored since I had been diagnosed with a subchorionic hematoma, which caused bleeding; but ultimately resolved by week 20. I had the genetic testing and weekly ultrasounds, including visits with the maternal fetal medical doctor. I had no reason to suspect anything was wrong. I had a busy weekend and had felt a bit off. I just assumed I was getting ready for labor, as my last two babies had been born early. I thought she was pretty still that day, but again, I thought labor was imminent. It struck me in the kitchen, that I hadn’t felt definite kicks for at least a day. I drank something and laid on my side. I tried the fetal doppler. I rolled over to get up and I felt her body weight shift and realized that what I thought were braxton hicks were just the tightening around her shifting body. My family had gone to the pool, so when my husband got home, I told him I hadn’t felt Talia in a while. He tried to find her on the doppler also and found nothing. I called my best friend and she offered to take me, so my husband would have the van for our kids. We went in. Two ultrasounds confirmed that her heart was no longer beating.

I miss everything about Talia. There will never be a holiday or a milestone that is not touched with a tinge of grief for what might have been.  To handle my grief I worship and pray.  Emotionally it is devastating and financially our budget has been tight ever since. 

The Rhett Sullivan Foundation is such a beautiful thing, and so needed.

~Talia’s Mommy

At our tournament this year we will have a baby remembrance of babies that our foundation has helped, or that we have met along our journey of establishing and running the foundation.  We believe it is important to share their stories and say their names.

Today we remember the handsome Jude.  I found the Jude Zayac Foundation, which was established in Jude’s name, when I was researching SIDS.  Their mission is to raise funds to support SIDS research and to enrich the lives of living children in our community.  Jude is missed daily however his foundation lead by Jude’s Mommy, Theo Zayac is doing great things. This is Jude’s story….

Jude Theodore Zayac

April 19, 2014 – July 23, 2014

“Jude was the biggest of all my babies, born weighing 9lbs 6oz. He was the sweetest, most content little baby from his first second on earth.  Jude stopped breathing during the first hour of his third day at daycare. A licensed daycare that we love and trust to this day. I was just going back to my second week at work after maternity leave and Jude was going to daycare two days a week.   I was talking about Jude when I got the call from the daycare telling me that Jude wasn’t breathing and had been taken in an ambulance. Once I got the ER in the fog of my own deafening screams, I somehow noticed a chair placed behind me in the middle of the emergency room hallway and I knew what they were going to tell me wasn’t good news. I was able to watch my baby be worked on, with lines in both of his calves and nothing on the heart rate monitor when the ER doctor stopped pushing breaths.  They removed all his tubes and lines so I could hold him while he died. Most days that experience still doesn’t feel real.

I miss his happy smile. I miss the way he would look at his big brother and crack a smile. I miss the quiet mornings, just he and I, when he’d wake before everyone else. I have three living children and what I am missing out on most is the feeling of having a complete family. Every milestone with my kids or big event with our family just isn’t quite right. There is a lot of joy but there is so much sadness.

I make a choice to walk with my grief and let it overcome me some days.  I made a choice the day Jude died that I would never let guilt, blame or anger seep in. Sometimes they do, and I fight them off, but carrying grief is heavy enough. I have an incredible husband, incredible kids that grieve their brother openly along with me, and an incredible extended family.

Emotionally, since Jude’s death I  have had to deal with anxiety, major depression and PTSD. I often find it difficult to focus which makes day to day life tougher. There is definitely a heightened sense of anxiety regarding our living children.  Fortunately, I can’t say that there was really any impact on our family financially as a direct result of Jude’s death.  But if we didn’t have enough money to pay for his burial expenses and medical bills, things would look a lot different.

The list of needs that families who have lost a child is seemingly endless and always changing and the Rhett Sullivan Foundation can help with these.” 

~Jude’s Mommy