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How one family helps their son stay connected to his deceased brother

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Cerith Gardiner - published on 03/06/23

Their creativity has allowed the parents and their toddler to grieve the loss of their tiny baby son.

For parents that who’ve lost children, there is often a desire to keep their child’s memory alive. And one family has managed to achieve this in an ingenious way.

A photo has re-emerged on social media of a little boy, Tucker Hammac, playing at his little brother’s grave. His parents made a sandbox on top of the grave for their son to “play with” his deceased brother when they went to visit.

As his mom, 24-year-old Ashlee Hammac, shared with People at the time, “The more I thought about it, the more I wanted something my other son Tucker could be incorporated in. He always goes out there with me, and sits out there, and sings lullabies, and talks to him just like he was there. So I wanted it to be special for him too. His favorite thing right now is trucks.”

However, not only does this allow their son to form a connection with his brother Ryan who died at just five days old from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (when blood doesn’t flow to the brain properly), it also allows him to not have any fear of death. And this is important for children, and adults, of any age.

In fact, while death remains a mystery to us — although there is the hope of eternal life — this activity creates some sort of normalcy around it. And while this idea might not appeal to everyone, as we all grieve in our own way, it is a reminder that death is never final, for both the living and those who’ve passed away.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=573409318166957&set=a.553131410194748

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