Six days before our seventh wedding anniversary, John and I welcomed our third son into the world. A perfect little man, with silky soft skin and beautiful blue eyes. 

Grady Louis Yatsko was born on June 11, 2007. The last piece of our puzzle was in place—our family was complete.

We had a busy summer, going to lots of events and Grady got a chance to meet so many new people. He was a charmer—he had a very good nature about him. He interacted with everyone and was constantly smiling. Toward the end of summer and into the beginning of fall, he had begun laughing out loud. His personality was really developing—he was becoming his own little person. 

At Grady’s 4 month doctor visit, he was given a clean bill of health. He was alert, happy and healthy. The nurses even commented on how strong our little man was.  

Two days later, on a typical fall day, I laid him down for an afternoon nap. About an hour later, I found my baby lifeless in his crib.

We have lived our worst nightmare. Not only did we lose our baby boy, but no one can offer an explanation. SIDS has no signs, no symptoms, no known cause. Our Grady just stopped breathing. How can that be? Why would this happen? What did we do to deserve this torture? There are no answers to these questions. 

Grady has taught our family so many lessons. The importance of family. The need to appreciate what you have and not take anything for granted. 

 Our older sons have also taught us a few things too. Life does go on, no matter how much pain you’re in. We need to learn to live again, and they are our source of inspiration. Without them, we would be lost.

 Our hearts ache for our little angel every day, but slowly, we are learning to go on. Grady is watching over us, and he wants to see our smiles.

UPDATE:

On November 11, 2008, Grady became a big brother. Our fourth son, Derek Lee, was born. He has been a blessing to our family, and has helped us to see that there is life after devastation. We believe whole-heartedly that Grady hand picked Derek just for us and sent him to us with love from heaven.