Learning to navigate life following the loss of a child

Ryan and Angelica Williams have said Denihm is their sunshine.

In the five years he was here on this earth, he touched more lives than they ever imagined.

“He was a really, really great kid,” said Ryan, Denihm’s father. “He was full of life and a typical five year old. He was everything to us.”

Katie: “Did he really have a big impact?”

“Bigger than we thought,” said Angelica, Denihm’s mother.

Katie: “And he’s going to continue?”

“Yeah,” Ryan said.

Parents remember their son Denihm

Ryan and Angelica Williams

Denihm was killed in an ATV accident just after Thanksgiving.

The last month and a half undoubtedly hard for the couple.

Despite this, the couple said they were able to regain hope when they felt all was lost.

“Ms. Reecie and my wife, they talk a lot, and she gives us a lot of hope and things that we look forward to,” Ryan said.

Reecie Gilmore knows Williams’ wrestling all too well. Fourteen years ago, she lost her son, Clint, by accidental drowning.

The RescYou Group officially opens its doors

Reecie gilmore

“You are so isolated,” Gilmore began. “Nobody understands how you feel, you are completely abnormal, living in completely abnormal conditions.”

During those fourteen years, Gilmore worked to start a nonprofit group; one that would help parents who have lost children navigate this new life.

“At the time of the tragedy, I didn’t know what to do next,” Gilmore said. “I had buried a grandmother, I had buried a grandfather but that was it. I had never planned the funeral, so the thought of having to plan my son’s funeral was mind-numbing. was the idea, to create something that would guide families on what to do next. This is the process that no one is preparing for. “

This dream came true on January 11, the RescYou group officially opened its doors, serving a neighborhood of ten parishes.

“There isn’t a rule book that tells you how to deal with the loss of a child,” Gilmore said. “This is what I wanted to create, in a sense, a process and a program that could guide families on what to do next, with specific steps.”

The RescYou group helps families navigate a new life

Reecie gilmore

These steps include:

– 24 hour navigators, someone to meet families at the hospital and guide them in the hours and days following the loss of a child.

– Child life specialist on staff to help siblings cope with the loss of a sibling.

– Help families financially with funeral expenses.

– Free consultations for one year

“We’ve partnered with the Lost in Transition Center, and they offer free counseling for up to a year for families,” Gilmore said. “It doesn’t matter when the loss happened, when they first start, that’s when their 12 months begin. It could be two years later when they decide they need help, and they can. start this bereavement consultation. “

Ryan and Angelica Williams remember their son DE

Ryan and Angelica Williams

As for Ryan and Angelica, while they still have a long way to go, they have something to look forward to: the birth of their second son in a few months.

“His name will be Denver,” Ryan said. “We hope to welcome it with open arms. Not to fill the void but to mend it a little.”

Katie: Denver will know a lot about denim, right?

“He was talking in Denver and saying don’t hurt my mom and stuff like that,” Ryan said.

Katie: He was protecting his mom.

“Yeah, and he was so ready to be a big brother,” Ryan said.

You can find the RescYou group on Facebook or go to www.therescyougroup.org

You can also call or text Reecie Gilmore at: (361) 944-4226

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