While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss
This is a podcast FOR bereaved parents BY bereaved parents. Join your host, Jill Sullivan, as she talks with parents who have lost children of all ages to all types of circumstances. This is a podcast of stories ... stories of devastating loss and grief and heartbreak and struggle ... and stories of hope and healing and faith, and yes, even joy. Underlying every conversation will be the hope we have in Jesus Christ, which makes it possible to not just survive the loss of a child, but to live well while we're waiting to see them again in Heaven one day. Visit our website at www.WhileWereWaiting.org for more information about our nonprofit ministry to bereaved parents.
Episodes
321 episodes since 2020
221 | Permission to Grieve with Molly Huffman
Molly Huffman's son Tage was diagnosed with a terminal genetic disease shortly after his birth in 2014, and he went to Heaven at the age of 8 months old, leaving her deep in sorrow. Today's episode features Molly's presentation at last ye...
September 18, 2024
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Episode 221
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44:42
Bonus 100 | Hannah - In Her Own Words
Sixteen years ago today, Hannah turned in a rough draft of an essay to her second period English teacher. The students had been assigned the task of writing about an experience that impacted their life.Today's episode is Hannah's ...
September 18, 2024
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7:51
Bonus 99 | Right On Target
We arrived home from the American Idol concert experience on Sunday evening. The remnants of Hurricane Ike had blown themselves out and so had the storm in my mind ... at least somewhat. Monday brought our regular clinic visit for b...
September 15, 2024
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2:32
Bonus 98 | A Building Storm
Sixteen years ago today, my girls and I continued our tradition of attending American Idol concerts together. Hannah was so excited to go, and couldn't wait to cheer on David Cook, her favorite singer that year. But the onset of fat...
September 13, 2024
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5:58
220 | Beautifully Broken (Part Two) with Pat Elsberry
Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Pat Elsberry. Last week Pat introduced us to her daughter Melanie, and talked about the day she received a phone call from a police detective informing her that Melanie had been found de...
September 11, 2024
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Episode 220
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33:05
Bonus 97 | Sailing Through
At this point, Hannah was pretty much sailing through her treatments ... in fact, those were her oncologist's exact words! Other than the fact that her hair was still a little thin in spots due to the radiation treatments, nobody would ha...
September 08, 2024
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2:51
219 | Beautifully Broken (Part One) with Pat Elsberry
I’m so pleased to introduce you to my new friend Pat Elsberry. Her beautiful daughter Melanie died from an accidental drug overdose in February of 2020, after years of battling substance use disorder. In today’s episode, Pat shares ...
September 04, 2024
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Episode 219
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36:30
Bonus 96 | Fashion Advice
Hannah and I were good shopping buddies ... the last year or so that we shopped together, she really took it upon herself to move her mom out of the '80's. She enjoyed critiquing the outfits I tried on and giving me fashion advice. ...
September 02, 2024
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3:12
218 | In the Wrestle (Part 3) with Janet Boxx
Welcome to the third and final installment of my conversation with Janet Boxx! If you’ve missed the last two episodes, you’ll want to go back and listen to hear the story of her son Cole, who was stillborn in 1992, and the story of her da...
August 28, 2024
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Episode 218
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49:08
Bonus 95 | Half Way There
Six months. Half a year. That's how much time had passed since Hannah's brain surgery. It had been a trying six months, to be sure ... but by this point cancer had subtly slipped into the background of our daily lives. A...
August 25, 2024
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4:11
217 | In the Wrestle (Part Two) with Janet Boxx
Today's episode features a continuation of my conversation with Janet Boxx. Last week, Janet shared about the loss of her son Cole to stillbirth and introduced us to her three daughters, Bethany, Gracen, and Katie. As we pick up the...
August 21, 2024
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Episode 217
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42:22
Bonus 94 | President ... and Vice President!
I wish I had a "first day of school" picture for the beginning of Hannah's junior year and Bethany's eighth-grade year. But at this point in her cancer treatments, Hannah really did not like having her photograph taken. Her hair was...
August 18, 2024
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3:17
216 | In the Wrestle (Part One) with Janet Boxx
Janet Boxx has been a friend of mine for almost nine years now, and she has been a consistent source of encouragement in my life. She has experienced the loss of three of her four children, and she will be my guest over the next three epi...
August 14, 2024
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Episode 216
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35:34
Bonus 93 | Back To School Thoughts
In the fall of 2008, Hannah was ready to get the new school year underway. She would be a junior this year, and was anxious to get it behind her so she could start her senior year, graduate (as valedictorian, of course!) and go on to Ouac...
August 11, 2024
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4:31
215 | Through the Valley (Part Two) with Jim and Patty Polk
Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Daniel’s parents, Jim and Patty Polk. As a pastor, Jim brings a unique perspective to our discussion, and as we begin this episode, he is addressing the re-examination of his faith...
August 07, 2024
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Episode 215
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36:27
Bonus 92 | Late Summer 2008
The beginning of August 2008 brought a flurry of back-to-school activity. Hannah was excited about beginning her junior year of high school, getting her cancer treatments behind her, and moving forward with life in general. Things s...
August 04, 2024
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3:15
214 | Through the Valley (Part One) with Jim and Patty Polk
It was just a normal Wednesday when Jim Polk and his 29-year-old son Daniel walked into a university concert venue together. What unfolded over the next few moments would change Daniel's parents' lives forever and lead them to completely ...
July 31, 2024
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Episode 214
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41:08
Bonus 91 | Temporary Isolation
Hannah was amazingly patient with most aspects of her regularly-scheduled appointments at Children's Hospital, and never complained about the endless blood draws, blood pressure checks, and repetitive questions from her doctors and nurses. ...
July 29, 2024
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3:18
213 | Past "What Ifs" and Future "What Ifs" with Cody and April Quillen
I believe every bereaved parent asks the question, "What If ... ?". Cody and April Quillen bring a new perspective to that question in today's episode, which is a continuation of our conversation from last week. If you missed...
July 24, 2024
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Episode 213
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41:13
Bonus 90 | Reasons to Celebrate
Hannah approached every MRI with remarkable composure. She never needed any kind of sedation ... just her headphones and a Carrie Underwood CD. The biggest stress for her was the insertion of the IV because she was such a "hard stic...
July 21, 2024
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4:04
212 | Bringing Catie Home with Cody and April Quillen
Cody and April Quillen were enjoying a long-awaited family vacation in Mexico when their daughter Catie experienced a serious health crisis. In today's episode they share the harrowing tale of their experience with the Mexican healthcare ...
July 17, 2024
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Episode 212
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34:47
Bonus 89 | Thoughts At a Funeral
As we celebrated the life of her great grandmother, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through Hannah's mind. Was she thinking of her own mortality as she considered the life and death of her great grandmother? She had h...
July 15, 2024
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3:55
211 | "Sifted" (Part Two) with Karen Harmening
Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Karen Harmening, blogger and author of the new book “Sifted: Diary of a Grieving Mother”. If you are walking the journey of child loss, you will find something in our chat that wil...
July 10, 2024
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Episode 211
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35:18
Bonus 88 | Family Vacation
During the summer of 2008, we had the opportunity to take a family vacation to Nashville, Tennessee. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel and enjoyed some good restaurants, toured the Country Music Hall of Fame, visited a botanical garden, sho...
July 08, 2024
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3:06
210 | "Sifted" (Part One) with Karen Harmening
When my friend Karen Harmening announced a few months ago that she was publishing a book born from her experience with the loss of her daughter Sarah, I was thrilled … not just for myself, but for all my bereaved parent friends who will benefit...
July 03, 2024
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Episode 210
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37:07