Drawing by Heather Spears

Drawing of Julian by Heather Spears (www.heatherspears.com). Heather is a Canadian-born published poet and artist who lives in Denmark. She has done amazing drawings of children in crisis, and will work with bereaved parents to create drawings of their children based on photographs and parents' memories, creating lasting, softer images of the child than a photo taken in a medical setting.

Birth/death announcement

I designed and printed this birth/death announcement to send to our friends, relatives, and colleagues during the first few weeks after returning from the hospital. I felt that I needed to do something to honor Julian's life, and I wanted to be sure that he was acknowledged by other people. I was, and continue to be, angry, hurt, and frustrated by those who chose to deal with our loss by pretending that it didn't happen or that Julian didn't exist. Many people have told us how much they were moved by the announcement.

A harsh winter

Another icy view of the Hudson from our apartment. Note the Mega Millions sign. We were told that Julian's condition was statistically rare--a "freak" incident. With those odds, couldn't we have won the lottery instead?

A cold, dreary day without Julian

The view from our new apartment on a cold, dreary day without Julian.