In Memory of ⚓️ Elijah Zane Mikesell ⚓️

I’m honored to serve with Hope Mommies Dallas Chapter, turning my love for Elijah into support for other grieving moms and finding purpose in continuing to mother him through the way I serve others.

Our Story of Loss

On August 15, 2023, Adam and I welcomed our son, Elijah Zane, into the world. We went to the hospital expecting to bring our baby home. Instead, we left without him.

In a matter of hours, every future we had imagined with Elijah changed. We should have been learning his little personality, bringing him home, watching him grow, celebrating first smiles, first steps, birthdays, Christmas mornings, and all of the ordinary moments parents are supposed to get.

We lost our son, and somehow we had to learn how to keep living in a world where Elijah was no longer physically with us.

One of the hardest parts of losing a baby is that the love does not disappear when your child dies. I was still Elijah’s mom. I still wanted to love him, protect him, talk about him, and do things for him, but suddenly I had nowhere for all of that motherhood to go.

Hope Mommies helped change that for me.

Through Hope Mommies Dallas Chapter, I found women who were not afraid to say Elijah’s name or acknowledge that he existed and mattered. I found a community that understood that grief does not have an expiration date. And eventually, I found a way to take the love I will carry for my son for the rest of my life and use it to care for other mothers on the worst days of their lives.

Serving with Hope Mommies has given me purpose. Every Hope Box I help prepare, every grieving mother we reach, and every baby whose name is remembered gives me another opportunity to continue mothering Elijah in a way I never expected.

Nothing will ever make losing him okay. Nothing replaces the life Adam and I should have had with our son. But we can make sure Elijah’s life continues to leave something good behind.

That is why this fundraiser is so personal to us. It is one more way to honor our son, carry his love forward, and help another grieving mother know that her baby mattered too.

What Is Hope Mommies?

Hope Mommies is a Christ-centered nonprofit that comforts and connects moms who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss.

One of the ways Hope Mommies reaches grieving mothers is through Hope Boxes. Each box includes Bible study materials, a journal, a handwritten note from another Hope Mom, comfort items, and an invitation into a community of women who have walked this road too.

That community gives us a place to say our babies’ names, talk about them openly, share the parts of grief that others may not understand, and know that no one is uncomfortable remembering them with us. For many of us, it also gives all of the love we still carry for our babies somewhere to go through serving, supporting another grieving mom, and remembering another baby.

Help Us Reach Grieving Moms in Our Community

This year, Hope Mommies Dallas Chapter plans to provide 400–500 Hope Boxes through more than 25 hospitals and clinics, as well as directly to grieving moms who reach out for support.

Each Hope Box costs about $60 and is given completely free of charge. Every donation made through this page supports Hope Mommies Dallas Chapter and helps us continue reaching grieving moms in our community.

Will You Partner With Us?

Your gift provides more than a box. It gives a grieving mom:

• A tangible reminder that her baby is remembered
• A community where she can say her baby’s name and be understood
• Christ-centered resources and encouragement as she learns to live with her loss
• A place for the love she still carries for her baby, and eventually, an opportunity to carry that love forward

$60 can help reach one grieving mom.

If you are able, please donate today. If you cannot give, sharing this page matters too. Every donation and every share helps Hope Mommies Dallas Chapter reach another mother who may be facing the hardest days of her life.

Thank you for helping us make sure grieving moms in our community do not have to walk this road alone. Every mom we reach is one more way I get to carry Elijah’s love and memory forward.

Because He lives, we hope.

Valerie and Adam Mikesell, Elijah Zane’s mom and dad