Using Faith to Conquer Fears

by Jyl Johnson Pattee on August 9th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Smilingonbed I don't think I will ever cease to be amazed by the pure strength, the unshakable faith of Jenn and Chris Hawn.

A few weeks ago, I shared their story with you. Their young son, Ryan, was suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy - a disease that was certain to rob them of many years of joy with him.

The disease did just that. Ryan turned 6 months old on July 27th - and passed away in his parent's arms that evening. Knowing he was deteriorating, they had kept him in bed with them. About two o'clock in the morning they realized Ryan was preparing to leave them.

momryan2 They had feared his last moments would be painful, but their faith was rewarded by a deep breath and a smile like none they had ever seen. Jenn shares this remarkable moment here. I can't do it justice.

Confident that Ryan had just witnessed the most beautiful scene imaginable and that he is finally free from all the restraints daily pain from SMA placed on him - the couple are able to smile through their pain.

At a time I'm not certain I would be capable of standing, this mother and father relied heavily on their faith and each other - and by example - teach the true meaning of faith.

And they are able to continue to encourage people to fight Spinal Muscular Atrophy by signing the petition to provide necessary funding to eliminate this disease and others like it.

You too can help. The petition can be found on the right hand side of the Hawn Family Website - it will only take about 2 minutes to sign.

About the Author: Danielle Smith is a mommy to two smart and sassy small people, as well as the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com. You can catch her hosting a brand new live show, The Spin Cycle, on MomTV.com every Wednesday at 9pmEST. She also hosts a show on Blog Talk Radio and contributes to WhyMomsMatter. Danielle is thrilled to be contributing to MomItForward as ‘giving back’ has always been an important part of who she is and what she hopes to teach her children.

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Jyl Johnson Pattee

An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.