Meet Henry

Meet Henry

Henry's Story

Henry Leland Seretta was born on April 14, 2014. This little monster invaded our hearts even before he was born. He was a completely healthy and happy baby, until he started getting an ear infection and colds in mid-October. We finally got rid of the ear infection, but the cold symptoms never fully disappeared. Over the weekend of November 8 & 9, Henry got significantly sicker. He was admitted to Children's Hospital in Omaha on November 10, 2014, and was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia on November 11, 2014. He fought hard for nearly two weeks, before passing away on November 22, 2014. This blog depicts our journey through the grief of losing Henry. If you would like to read more about his medical journey, you can visit his CaringBridge page. More photos and community posts can be found at our Hope for Henry Facebook page. Thank you for sharing this journey with us!

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Remembrance Ceremony

Children's Hospital hosted a beautiful remembrance ceremony today, honoring and remembering children that were lost last year. I continue to be amazed at what Childrens's does for the families of their patients. We had a short stay, and yet received smiles, handshakes, and hugs from several of the doctors, nurses and staff that were part of Henry's care. In fact, as we first walked in we were greeted by one of the nurses who follows our page, then got a handshake from one of the PICU attending doctors, and a hug from one of Henry's oncologists. It is wonderful to know that there is such an amazing facility with outstanding staff right here in our community.

It was a tough ceremony for both of us. I think we're at a point now where we are able to compartmentalize our grief. It's still part of our every day, but it's no longer the focal point. We had a nice vacation, and have had many positive things to focus on lately. But the ceremony today, and Henry's upcoming birthday, bring Henry's loss back to the forefront. We both shed tears as we remembered our monster. The slideshow of all the children honored was humbling as well...so many lives cut tragically short. Some were tiny babies, toddlers, children, and teenagers. All of the families present suffered a terrible loss. Yet all are still breathing, still surviving, still living.

This week will be a tough one. We will have many conflicting emotions...happy remembering the smiles, snuggles, and milestones...sad thinking of what Henry would be doing today... Tim and I both mentioned how the remembrance ceremony program is not where you want to see your child's name. We want to see his name on a preschool graduation list, a kindergarten round-up list, a tee ball or soccer roster, a music program, a graduation announcement. As we move through this week, as always, we appreciate the prayers, thoughts, and support from our family, friends, community and followers. Thank you for being there for us!

(This is the picture we submitted for the slideshow...it just seemed to us to be classic Henry!)

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