Tragedy rocked Tattika Dunn and Bill McGlinn, the parents of Baby Harvey, when the infant suddenly died in a baby sling. The grieving mom still feels as if her heart has been “ripped in a million pieces.” But she’s thanking her loving community for the compassion they’ve shown in wrapping their arms around the family.
When Tattika Dunn and Bill McGlinn of Australia welcomed Baby Harvey, they never expected to say goodbye so soon. The parents already had 4-year-old twin boys and all of them excitedly greeted the family’s newest addition.
All was going well until a routine post-natal check-up three weeks later.
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Happy mom Tattika stood chatting with a nurse for about ten minutes with Baby Harvey strapped to her chest in a standard baby sling carrier. But when Tattika went to hand her infant son over to the nurse, the two discovered the unthinkable.
3-week-old Harvey wasn’t breathing. And though medical staff immediately administered CPR, he couldn’t be saved.
Credit: GoFundMe/Support For Baby Harvey
The news left the infant’s mom “utterly inconsolable”.
"It's a horribly tough time for her and the family,” a friend of the family reported. "She had carried the baby properly on her front in the sling, she's a mother of three, totally devoted to her children, they are her world."
Community Rallies Around Family After Baby Sling Tragedy
At first, police thought Baby Harvey had suffocated in the baby sling. But now, they are leaning more towards a case of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
No matter what the cause, it left the family reeling after “a very much loved family member was taken from this world.”
It’s always tough to see any good in times of such tragedy. But God is already at work bringing beauty from the ashes.
The couple’s close-knit community is banding together to shower this family with the love of Jesus. And the love and support has meant so much.
“I am experiencing so much grief and not coping,” Tattika wrote on Facebook, “but I had a community of people who I would now call family stand and take over for me.”
Both Tattika and Bill are extremely active with the North Entrance Surf Club Life Saving Club. In fact, Bill recently received an award for his time as a volunteer lifesaver.
So, when tragedy struck, the club wanted to find a way to give back.
Credit: GoFundMe/Support For Baby Harvey
They set up a fundraising page, where more than $3,000 has rolled in to help the family with the expenses that come with laying a family member to rest.
Heartbroken Mom Responds To Community’s Kindness
In response to the generous outpouring, Tattika took it upon herself to send out an emotional message of thanks.
"Just wanted to do a shout out, a massive thank you to a massive group of people who came together and helped me when I couldn't help myself," she said on Facebook.
"I cannot go into detail as it's still very raw and my heart feels like it's been ripped in a million pieces but. . . my 3-week-old precious baby boy Harvey passed. It happened for ‘no known reason' — nothing can be explained.”
Awful tragedies like these remind us just how fragile life is and what a gift each moment is. Tattika expressed this in another post, saying, “Life is precious. Cherish every moment and hold your loved ones close.”
God calls us to love our neighbor. And in the midst of so much pain, Baby Harvey’s family has experienced just that.
"When one of our worst nightmares came to play a community stood up and helped do things I just couldn't,” Tatikka said in her heartfelt post. “These people are now like family."
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Please join us in lifting this family up in prayer. We hope it will inspire everyone to perform an act of kindness today. You never know just what others may be facing.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
h/t: Yahoo News
Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe/Support For Baby Harvey