Every parent’s worst nightmare is to find out their child has a terminal illness.
When parents of an infant find out that their baby doesn’t have long to live, they can struggle to cope with the news. The Tanner family received devastating news when their son was born. The family learned soon after his birth that he had a rare form of epilepsy, which is terminal.
The family could have lost faith, but instead, they decided to give their baby the best life possible, no matter how short it might be.
They take care of Lincoln’s every need; even when the baby is suffering from 200 seizures a day, they never leave his side. Lincoln’s mother, Abby, talked about the experience, saying:
“You have to reach for the joys that are today, and you have to embrace those and not get sucked into this cycle of hurt and despair.”
Things are not easy, but they try to make the best of it and spend as much time with Lincoln as possible.
Still, there are days when they get upset or feel bad. They have had to find ways to improve their moods. For Abby, she finds comfort in music. She explained:
“Music just communicates things that words can’t. It just heals my heart to be able to play and sing.”
Naturally, the family spends a lot of time in hospital waiting room. When Abby noticed a piano in the lobby of the Duke Cancer Center, she decided to play and sing a song for Lincoln while they waited for his neurological care.
She started singing the song “Never Enough,” written by Loren Allred. The hospital staff noticed her playing the piano and singing and happened to record her. They were moved by her beautiful voice and raw emotion.
They uploaded it to the hospital Facebook page, and it went viral.
The lyrics are:
“I’m trying to hold my breath
Let it stay this way
Can’t let this moment end
You set off a dream with me
Getting louder now
Can you hear it echoing?
Take my hand
Will you share this with me?
‘Cause darling without you
All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the night sky
Will never be enough
Never be enough
Towers of gold are still too little
These hands could hold the world but it’ll
Never be enough”
Abby didn’t mind that they had shared the video, but she was shocked that it went viral.
She said:
“You know, it was just a moment between he and I, and it wasn’t until we looked up and we saw a bunch of people clapping afterward, really enjoying it, that we knew anybody else was even there.”
Abby and her family are doing everything they can to make memories with baby Lincoln and give him the love, care, and comfort they need. He can hear his mom’s voice, and even though he can’t say it, it’s clear he loves to listen to her sing.
Abby has a Facebook page where she shares the news about Lincoln’s health.
She also shares photos of her beautiful baby. She also shares stories about her other children and gives some insight into the family’s hectic lifestyle.
She hopes that the page will help not only other parents of terminally ill children but all parents. Life can be hard and frustrating at times, but all you can do is push through and keep your faith. Everything will work out in the end. Although Lincoln’s prognosis is not good, his family is determined to make his life matter.
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Source: Duke Cancer Institute, Lincoln’s Road, Inspire More
