OT-Keyshawn Johnson’s daughter, Maia, passes away
Awful, awful, awful. That’s one thing no one told me about in having a kid, that you worry about possibilities like this every single day after they’re born, probably a few times a day. RIP and peace to her family.
It keeps me up at night.
I often pray (selfishly in ways) “Whatever happens and whenever you want, please just take me first.”
I have some friends who lost their daughter. The father kept his grief mostly to himself but it was years before I saw any light in her mother’s eyes. Almost makes me scared to have children
As a fairly new dad (3 year old), this is the one thing I did not know to expect. I knew obviously I'd love the kid and not want her to die ever, but the unexpected dark thoughts that storm your brain about what if X terrible thing happened continues to surprise me. I have a totally different appreciation for all parents.
When my daughter was born I was gobsmacked by the almost instant sense of vulnerability I suddenly felt. You can fear losing parents or a spouse, of course (and I've had plenty of experience in this regard), but nothing prepares you for the unconditional love you have for a child. I've always said that becoming a parent opens up a whole new territory of human experience--one filled with incredible joy but also insane terror.
Horrible. Sickening. Literally chokes me up to hear this type of stuff regardless of the proximity to me, personally. I literally don't know how you get through something like this, but all love to them and strength
I have 2 sons...I honestly cannot even imagine the magnitude of grief he must be feeling. He has a hard emotional journey ahead, but I hope that somehow him and his family can find piece.
Just awful for him and his family.
Soul crushing.
March 15th, 2021 at 10:23 PM ^
RIP Maia
March 15th, 2021 at 10:32 PM ^
When I was in the Chicago area, my neighbor’s wife and daughter were driving back from Nashville (their former home). The mom drove all night and with a couple of hours left in their trip, she pulled over and her daughter took the wheel. Shortly after that, a drunk driver crossed the median, hit them, and killed the daughter. They lost their only child - it was devastating for them. “If only I...” tore them to pieces.
That was hard to read
March 15th, 2021 at 10:38 PM ^
That hurts.
March 15th, 2021 at 10:47 PM ^
God Bless the family. ?
March 15th, 2021 at 10:48 PM ^
Lost my son who was a U of M student 7 years ago at the age of 20. I can vouch for it being something that you never get over. My son is in my thoughts every single day. You literally have to learn to live with with grief on a daily basis and come to grips with the fact that you will never be as happy as you were before the loss. It's absolutely awful and I hate to hear about anyone losing a child because I know exactly what they are in store for.
March 15th, 2021 at 11:24 PM ^
My heart goes out to you.
March 15th, 2021 at 11:29 PM ^
Omg, I'm so sorry.
March 15th, 2021 at 11:46 PM ^
Thank you for sharing this. Several parents have told me that it never gets less painful, just the very worst moments become slightly less frequent while the good memories always stay.
March 15th, 2021 at 11:59 PM ^
My son is only 5 months old but this was hard to read. So sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry for your loss and hope that you are able to find moments of joy in the midst of your grief
So very sorry to read that tigerd. Prayers for you and your family this morning.
March 16th, 2021 at 12:55 PM ^
Tigerd. First off, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can't image the pain, and the process to get to eventually some semblance of peace thereafter.
Second, your post is so powerful. I've read it probably 100 times since you posted it yesterday. While hard to read, it makes me appreciate more what I have. I do have young children of my own and I will hold them tighter, love them more (if that is even possible), and maybe not be so protective.
I've read probably a million posts on this blog. Yours will stick out forever to me. Thank you for sharing as I'm sure it wasn't easy to do.
March 16th, 2021 at 12:03 AM ^
Absolutely brutal. I can't imagine the pain.
That is very, very, very, sad!
So very sorry for his Keyshawn and his family. Prayers for them for sure.
As you get older, you not only worry about and think about and pray daily for your own kids, the process just starts over when you have grandkids.
My heart goes out to Mr. Johnson. We experienced the loss of our daughter 16 years ago. There is nothing worse than that.
There are things that no one ever tells you when you become a parent (probably for good reason). I can well imagine the pain of losing a child and the lasting impact it would have on my life and my wife's.
For different reasons, we've come close to losing both of ours when they were already adults. One of our children, our son, continues to struggle with a number of psychological and psychiatric issues that have prevented him from succeeding with even basic life skills. We thought, as a married couple, that we'd be traveling and enjoying the fruits of our life's work by now (the pandemic notwithstanding).
But our son's ongoing challenges, which may go on for several more years, have put our dreams off indefinitely. Because we love him, we will do whatever is necessary to help him, but this is easily the highest hill we've ever had to climb.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:02 AM ^
My family is in a community where losing your child isn't a risk, it is a certainty. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
We know what is coming so we 'Live' now. Some parents of a boy my son's age embodied this with the phrase "Make Every Day Count." That is a bit of wisdom that I would share. Not everyone is blessed with the knowledge of the future and pissing away time is the greatest waste I know of.
Big Ten Network - The Journey did a bit on Danny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLyU7lsGYi4
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/people/2018/07/16/dann…
My thoughts go out to all of you who have lost and prayers that the rest never do.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
Very sad.
damn...... Praying the family can find peace.
RIP young lady.