If you could use a restoration of your faith in humanity, look no further than the inspiring turn of events that transpired recently when a father named Nathen Steffelposted a photo of his infant daughter Sophia on Reddit, writing, "My daughter recently passed away after a long battle in the children's hospital. Since she was in the hospital her whole life we never were able to get a photo without all her tubes. Can someone remove the tubes from this photo?" Tragically, little Sophia suffered a hepatic hemangioma in her liver at just 6 weeks old.
Incredibly, people responded big time to Steffel's request. Users posted a slew of PhotoShopped, painted, or drawn portraits. But that's not all ... Steffel got even more than the photos, way more than he ever bargained for.
He told HuffPo he was "emotionally taken back by all the support and personal messages from families who shared a similar experience of grief." So amazing.
It's one thing for someone going through a tragedy like this to have any support -- ALL the support they can get! But the kind of support they can get from others who've been there, who can really speak to having been in that same boat, is especially comforting. Those other parents can truly be an anchor for parents like Steffel, who are going through such a challenging, uncertain time as they attempt to cope with the loss of a child.
It can't always be easy for parents who have gone through this to speak up and reach out to others experiencing it currently -- for a variety of reasons, from not wanting to drudge up emotions or just not being able to verbalize how they felt at the time. But that's what makes it even more amazing to know Steffel and his wife have heard from others who've been there. That they have them to lean on while remembering their daughter and moving forward. The photos he received were beautiful unto themselves, but the outpouring of support is really what takes this heart-rending story to the next level.
Has an empathetic fellow parent's support ever helped you better cope with a personal struggle?
Image via Nathen Steffel/Reddit