We Can Do Hard Things: Josh Terry–Death of a Child

Meet Josh and his beautiful daughter, Kycie.

The last day Josh and and his wife, Jamie, spoke to their daughter, Kycie, was January 30th, 2015. On that day, Kycie was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and was in a severe state called Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). Kycie was Life Flighted from Dixie Regional Hospital in St. George, Utah to Primary Children's Hospital, in SLC, Utah. Fifteen minutes before arriving to Primary Children's, Kycie suffered consecutive seizures due to her high blood sugars and resulted in a severe traumatic brain injury. The Terry family was told to prepare for the worst, as Kycie's injuries were significant and her chance of survival was low. However, Kycie beat the odds and was able to be moved to the neuro and trauma unit for rehab. Kycie would not respond to commands at first, but with time, she relearned how to move her arms, touch her nose and roll over. Kycie spent a total of 111 consecutive days in the hospital before being released to come home. She was home only 6 weeks before catching a respiratory illness, which led Kycie to pass away on July 11th, 2015.

Q: What words have you found helpful and encouraging after the loss of your sweet daughter? 
A: "We have received so much support from all over the world. However, there are two things that people have said over and over that have helped me and my wife cope."  

1. "We have received more stories than we can count, about parents who recognized the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes from Kycie's story and were able to get their child treated before they developed DKA. Understanding just how deadly a late diagnosis of T1D can be, words like "You saved my little girl/boy" or "If it wasn't for Kycie, we may have been in the same situation," mean the world to our family."
2. "The other thing that has brought a lot of comfort and peace are the stories shared about spiritual growth. People with no connection to T1D, but those who felt our Heavenly Father's love after watching one of his small children suffer. I loved to hear parents tell me about their children praying. Not just praying, but they would remind their parents to pray. It helped to hear people bare their testimony of love and how they were able to find peace to their own trials by following Kycie's story."

Q: Were there any acts of service performed that made an impact on you and your family?

A: "We were so blessed through this whole ordeal and continue to be so. We received  so many gifts and fundraisers that it's difficult to mention them all. One thing that meant the world to my wife, was an act of kindness toward our boys. Jamie was in the hospital with Kycie almost every single day for 4 months straight. She would only come home for 1 1/2 days, every other week. She felt guilty for leaving our five boys at home with Jamie’s mom or my mom. Kycie's story started to get a lot of attention from news outlets, school fundraisers, local news paper, etc. With both of us gone so much and Kycie getting a lot of attention, we were worried the boys would feel neglected and possibly even develop some resentment towards Kycie. We felt helpless in caring for the boys. Every single night, for 111 straight nights, someone named "The Mystery Chicks" left something on our door step for the boys. You can imagine that they had to get creative after 111 nights in a row on what they brought. I kept thinking that eventually they would stop bringing stuff, because that is a huge commitment to plan and find something to bring and then drop something off every single night. The boys were so excited. The older boys secretly hoped it was older girls and the younger boys beamed with excitement each time they found something with their name on it. I felt it turned the spotlight on them for just a short time. Strangers were sending gifts to Kycie every day. And there was a family of girls that brought our boys a personal gift every single day for 111 days!"

Website: http://www.kissesforkycie.com

Gift Ideas:

• Think about the children who are left at home. Often times, helping the couple's children can be the most meaningful. Though 111 nights is absolutely amazing, even dropping off something off for the children once will make an impact on the family.
• It might not seem like much, but share with the family how much their story and example have influenced you. I promise, it will mean more than you know.

  
  
  
  

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