“From that day forward I was a dad. The fact that we couldn’t take him home with us didn’t change a thing. The fact I would never teach him to kick a ball didn’t matter. We held his hands and we called him our own. He was the first little boy I ever made that promise to.”
He closes by encouraging others with a challenge: If you know a dad, stepdad, foster dad or any man who is considered a father in any way, reach out to them today.
“Let them know their promise was real. It will mean the world to them too.”
Brad’s honesty and transparency is inspiring. It’s conversations like these that shed light on the reality of child loss and demolish the stigma that SO many parents are suffering from in silence.
“I think awareness is key,” says Brad. “Awareness validates everything. The more people who talk about it, the more people are able to talk about it. Especially men.”