Published on April 9, 2026
When a family receives the most devastating news imaginable, they should never have to face it alone. That is the promise Alive makes—and it is a promise made possible by the generosity of our community and the work of Alive’s Child Life Specialist.
Today, we share the Smith family’s story. A story about a newborn baby who entered the world full of promise, and a family who learned far too soon that their time together would be heartbreakingly brief.
Give to ensure families receive the support of our Child Life Specialist
A Life, Brief but Full of Love
At just five weeks old, the Smiths’ baby began having seizures. For a month and a half, his parents kept a constant bedside vigil at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital—holding their breath through test after test, hoping and praying for answers.
When those answers finally came, they shattered every hope they had carried. Genetic testing revealed an extremely rare condition—one that would take their son’s life.
On February 10, they brought their baby boy home for the first—and last—time.
He passed away peacefully on April 26, at just five months old.
In those precious 75 days, Alive’s hospice team walked alongside the Smith family every step of the way.
“The Alive Hospice team was so incredibly supportive to our family,” Susan Smith shared. “Each interaction made this unbearable time a little bit brighter.”
A little bit brighter
In the darkest season a parent can know, that is no small thing. That is everything.
The Smith family also has a nine-year-old son—a big brother who had to watch his baby brother slowly slip away. During this time, Alive’s Child Life Specialist walked alongside him, offering gentle, age-appropriate support to help him process what was happening and begin to navigate his grief.
Through play, conversation, and compassionate presence, our Child Life Specialist gives children the tools and space to grieve in a way they can understand. No child should have to carry that weight alone—and because of donors like you, he didn’t have to.
This deeply specialized care is made possible entirely through philanthropic support.
Today, somewhere in their home, there are tiny handprints and footprints pressed into keepsakes the family will treasure forever. A small, tender gift—made possible because Alive was there.
This is what your support does.
It doesn’t cure disease or reverse tragedy. But it surrounds grieving families with compassion, expertise, and presence at the moments when they need it most. It turns the unbearable into something a little more bearable. It brings light into the darkest places.
Will You Be There for Them?
Right now, other families in our community are facing their own unimaginable journeys.
A mother sits in a hospital room.
A father struggles to explain the unexplainable to a frightened child.
Grandparents. Siblings. Spouses.
No one should have to face those moments alone.
A gift of any size—$25, $50, $100, or more—can be made to directly support our Child Life Specialist who helps children and families navigate grief, along with the compassionate care and memory-making moments they will carry with them always.
Because of you, families like the Smiths are not alone.
The handprints and footprints.
The child life specialist who helped hold a young boy’s heart together.
The team that made an unbearable time a little bit brighter.
That is Alive.
And that is what your support makes possible.
👉 Support our Child Life Specialist and bring comfort to families who need it most.
