Life After Loss

So much has happened over the last year, and if I’m honest, it still feels a little surreal. 

It’s been a season of grief and joy, hope and fear, heartbreak and healing, all somehow existing at the same time. I’ve learned that those things don’t cancel each other out. They just become part of your story.

And as hard as this season has been, I’m so grateful for the beautiful things that have grown from the love we have for Jack.

Many of you have been following our IVF journey since we lost our sweet boy in April of 2025. You’ve prayed for us, cried with us, celebrated the little victories, and carried us through some really hard days. Thank you. We truly wouldn’t be here without so many of you.

One of the hardest things to wrap my mind around is that without Jack, we never would have known about the genetic mutation Jared and I both carry. We never would have known about Trifunctional Protein Deficiency, and we never would have been able to pursue IVF.

As much as I wish with everything in me that Jack were still here, his life changed our family’s story forever.

Losing Jack will always be the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. But if you’ve walked through IVF, you know it’s no small journey either. This past year has been full of appointments, blood draws, medications, procedures, waiting, praying, more waiting… and yes, even throwing a gallbladder removal surgery into the mix.

There were so many moments when it all felt impossible.

Then on May 4, 2026, we transferred one tiny little embryo.

The embryo tested as a non-carrier, meaning it doesn’t carry the same genetic mutation that Jared, Jack, and I have.

That little embryo represented so much more than a medical procedure.

Our embryo represented hope.

Our embryo represented the chance to grow our family.

Our embryo represented the possibility of breaking a generational line of this disease.

Our embryo represented countless prayers that had been whispered through tears.

And by God’s grace…

He stuck.

We are 15 weeks pregnant, and we are so incredibly excited (and definitely a little nervous) to meet our second son in January 2027.

Jonah Merritt Pettinato
“Jet”

Sharing this news is something I’ve dreamed about, but it’s also something that’s felt surprisingly complicated.

Because every bit of excitement for Jonah exists alongside missing Jack. I don’t think those feelings will ever compete with each other. Loving Jonah doesn’t mean I love Jack any less. Missing Jack doesn’t mean I’m any less thankful for Jonah.

My heart has simply made room for both.

Jack will always be part of our family’s story. He’ll always be part of Jonah’s story and his sister Nora’s story too. His life mattered, and it continues to shape ours every single day.

Around the same time we found out I was pregnant, another dream started becoming a reality.

We began planning the launch of Jack’s Light.

As parents, we all hope our kids leave the world a little better than they found it. We dream about watching them grow into who they’re meant to be.

We don’t get to watch Jack grow up. But that doesn’t mean his life stopped making a difference.

With the help of friends who have truly are family, we’ve spent the last several months building something that honors the little boy who changed us forever.

Jack’s Light exists to walk alongside NICU families and families facing mitochondrial diseases—the kind of support we wish every family had during the hardest days of their lives.

Getting to launch Jack’s Light on August 7 feels like such a gift.

Some days I still can’t believe that God is allowing us to welcome another little boy while also giving us a way to continue Jack’s legacy.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that love doesn’t end when someone dies.

It keeps growing.

It changes people.

It creates hope.

It inspires generosity.

It points people back to Jesus.

Jack only spent a few short days on this earth, but I truly hope his story is far from over.

His little light is still shining.

And I’m so grateful we get to be part of telling that story.