Sadness. Help if you can!

I recently "met" Heidi of Honeybear Lane at SNAP.  What a sweet lady!  

Her family has had a terribly sad week.  I can't even think about it without crying.  Heidi's sister-in-law gave birth to her third baby last week--a baby girl (they have two boys) and then fell seriously ill with a terrible infection (strep A toxic shock syndrome.)  She fought really hard but in the end it was too much.  She passed away on Tuesday.  Heidi;s family, especially her brother, are completely shocked, devastated, and heart broken.  Heidi's brother had just graduated with an MBA, but they didn't have health insurance and he doesn't have a job.  And now he is left without a wife, to be a single father to his three children, one of which is a newborn baby.  

Heidi wires, "I love my sister-in-law like my own sister.  She was an absolutely angel and sometimes the hurt is so great that I can't breathe.  I am so sad that her baby girl will never know her and that her other children probably won't even remember her.  My family has started pulling together ideas for ways to help my brother emotionally and financially.  However, we are limited in the financial aspect, which is where I ask for your help."  

My heart is breaking!

The loss of a loved one is a strange surreal reality. Life is completely normal except for one large, gaping hole. Each day the pain seems to become more real and defined as the actuality of what has happened sinks in. Heidi of Honeybear Lane, lost her sister-in-law, Alice Hansen, this week to complications following the birth of her third baby. She fought a hard fight to stay on this earth with her husband and three little children who love her dearly. But God wanted her with Him and there is none who can stop Him. Her husband, Heidi's brother, was left behind to take care of their two little boys and newborn daughter.

Heidi's family opened a donation account for Alice and her family. This money will go towards funeral costs, residual medical expenses, and the costs of raising children without a mother or a job. Her brother is going through a very difficult thing and while nothing can replace the ache of losing his sweetheart, any sort of donation will help to ease the burdens a little. If you would like to donate money directly, please visit Heidi's blog Honeybear Lane. You can donate easily by clicking the "Donate" button on the right sidebar. You can donate through Paypal, credit card, or e-check (a check directly from your bank account.) Any and all donations are appreciated. Please also spread the word by sharing any posts you see about it. You may use any of these beautiful printables that the talented Lara made for Alice. These printables represent the music that Alice made in her life--being a PhD in music. In addition to being a wonderful wife and mother, she was a very gifted pianist who traveled the world before getting married and having children. She shared that passion with her husband, also a pianist. Music brought them together.

Music was her passion. But her family was her life. She figuratively and literally gave her life for her children. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Message from Heidi: From the bottom of our grief-stricken hearts: Thank you.