Testimonials

“Ryker’s Rainbow has become such an important part of my grief journey after the loss of one of our twin girls, Eliza Joy Yell. Before I ever knew what it really represented, I had friends who would share their page often to raise money for Ryker’s Rainbow. Little did I know that I would become a part of this loving community. It's one I would never wish anyone to be a part of but I am forever grateful that they have surrounded our family with more than just resources. They have given us love, prayers, and advice when days are hard.”

“Ryker’s Rainbow came into our lives through a sweet friend of mine who knew the Schoff family and reached out to them to let her know our situation. Ryker’s Rainbow was quick to reach out to my and offer their help. They sent us a care package in the mail with a handwritten card, a gift certificate to order a memento for our son, the sweetest book that brings tears to my eyes every time I read it, and financial help for our hospital bills and funeral costs. I am so thankful to know this nonprofit organization, and that they will be there to help other families in the future that have to endure this hurt of the loss of a child as well.”

“My son Corbin Benitez passed away at 12 days old to SIDS. On Corbin’s first birthday I was gifted a Ryker’s Rainbow bereavement box from the nurses at Marshall medical North. The box meant so much to me knowing someone has been where I have been and to know someone was thinking of my family.”

"At 38 weeks pregnant my husband & I heard the words no parent should ever hear, three words that will forever play in our minds. “I’m so sorry …..“. We learned at our last appointment before her due date that our baby girl; Madelyn Elizabeth’s little heart stopped beating. June 3, we laid eyes on our baby girl Madelyn Elizabeth; 8 pounds even, 20.5 inch, full head of brown curly hair, and chunky cheeks. We had no idea there was such a foundation as Ryker's Rainbow! So thankful for Ryker's Rainbow, they helped us in such an unexpected time with a beautiful bereavement box, financial expenses & continued grief support. We will forever be thankful for Ryker's Rainbow!”

“Through IVF we found out in May of 2020 that we were pregnant with twins! Due to only transferring one embryo we knew the babies had to be identical. At 20 weeks the boys were not growing at the same rate and they told us they had intrauterine growth restriction but sometimes it will self-correct. I couldn’t relax and I was not okay with this diagnosis. Shortly after I started swelling and my legs were unrecognizable. By 21 weeks I was admitted to the hospital with preeclampsia and was told I would not be leaving the hospital pregnant. I cannot express the amount of love we felt even though people could not come see us at the hospital. God answered prayers. Things stayed stable at that point until 26 weeks when the nurse came in for a nightly check in the babies and she couldn’t find a heartbeat for Baby Bryce. We heard those words no parent wants to hear, he was no longer alive. Baby Ryker was doing well, and they kept him on the monitor through the night. The next morning at 8:00 AM we found out I would be having a c-section at 26 weeks. The next several days were spent going from my room to the NICU and seeing this tiny little miracle that was 1 pound 6 ounces. He did amazing and fought so hard. On November 12th we started getting calls from the NICU and they were concerned about Ryker’s breathing. His organs were shutting down due to an infection that his little body was not strong enough to fight off. The doctors tried everything they could, but God called him home. Not long after we lost our boys we went to the Tinsel Trail and saw a tree with angels covering it. The tree was called Ryker’s Rainbow. Oh, how my momma heart needed that. I found peace knowing my boys were with so many other angels. While it was not our Ryker whose name was on the tree, I found peace in seeing his name. Not long after that I reached out to Lacey, and she has been nothing short of an answered prayer in my life. To be able to watch the way they help families, and support them when I can, gives me so much peace and a way to remember my boys.”

"Our family is so thankful for Ryker's Rainbow. Our sweet boy went to his heavenly home on August 19, 2021. The hardest part of losing a child is living with it every day afterward. Ryker's Rainbow showed us that we weren’t alone no matter how alone we felt, and we were shown nothing but love & comfort during the most terrifying, most tragic time of our lives. Ryker's Rainbow gifted our family a box of keepsakes, which I hold close to my heart, assisted us with the cost of a marker, & also a gift called Sprite for our daughter who has been grieving the loss of her brother. I later learned that there is no greater bond than the connection between parents who understand the agony of enduring the death of a child. It’s a pain we suffer for a lifetime. Ryker's Rainbow & their mission of love will forever be in our hearts."

“We lost Lillian 37 hours after she and her twin sister were born. It was completely unexpected and we were not prepared for the decisions we had to make or the grief we would be overwhelmed with. I discovered Ryker’s Rainbow through a Facebook post several months after Lillian died. On it, they were advertising the Rock and Walk sponsored by the Tears Foundation of Alabama. I got lost reading up on these organizations and within a few hours, I had found our community. Through the power of social media, I felt connected to people who could understand our loss and pain when we’d previously felt so alone. I hate that Ryker’s Rainbow has to exist, but I’m so glad for the work they do in our community for loss families.”

“Our sweet baby girl, Reagan Ruth Peavy, was born at 40 weeks and 2 days, with a head full of hair, chubby cheeks and oh goodness, the cutest rolls for days (she really liked cheetos while I was pregnant.) She laughed and cooed and gave her daddy some priceless eyebrow raises as he made silly noises to get her attention. Everything was perfect - a perfect pregnancy, a perfect delivery, a perfect baby! Until suddenly everything changed. The next few hours were the scariest and most devastating moments of my entire life. My silly, spunky baby girl gained her angel wings that night and I was shattered. The last year has been the darkest time in my life, but meeting Lacey (Ryker’s precious momma) has been such a significant help to me. Through Ryker’s Rainbow they have continuously helped support us in every way - they have been a shoulder to lean on, offered financial support, checked in on us, and honored our precious baby Reagan over and over. We could not be more thankful for them and all that they have done to support us.”

“When my water broke prematurely at only 16.5 weeks pregnant, our world went from being ecstatic about just finding out our baby due in June was a girl to complete fear. Everything was a whirlwind. Our baby girl was born 12/20/22. We felt lost, crushed, confused, overwhelmed, & broken. The nurses at Madison Hospital were fantastic and told us about Rykers Rainbow. We were given a gift box & although we did not know you, we felt we knew you! I no longer felt like I was alone in our pregnancy loss journey. Pregnancy loss has not been a subject most women talk about so it quickly can feel lonely, shameful and isolating. We received a plate with Madison’s hand and feet prints and you all were our sponsor. We cannot thank you enough for using your journey & Ryker’s life as a way to give back! You have made an impact in our life & we thank you!”

“Our daughter Willow Annzlee was born with a condition called Craniosynostosis, which basically means the bones in her skull fused prematurely not allowing room for her brain to grow. Willow was such a happy baby, she loved her sisters more than anything. The doctors suggested Cranio Vault Removal surgery between 9 and 11 months old. The surgery was a 99% successful surgery, the doctors never once talked to us about the death of the surgery, nor did we ever read about it in any support groups we were in. On September 6th 2021 Willow went in for her skull surgery. They told us it would be a 5-6Hr surgery, but they would update us every hour to hour and a half. During hour 3 we received the news that she was that 1%, and she passed away during the surgery at 9 months old from air embolism. During the hardest time of our lives Lacey reached out to me wanting to send a gift in remembrance. I just remember sitting at the post office and opening the Ryker’s Rainbow Box in absolute tears. Every detail and item in the box meant the world to myself, my 2 oldest daughters and my husband. We just want to say thank you to Lacey and Hans. God is working through our family and this isn’t the end of Willow’s Journey.”

“My husband and I decided to start “not trying” in January of 2022. We had already experienced one loss two years prior, but we told ourselves it wasn’t the right time. When it was, it would happen. We brushed off the heartbreak and trudged through the first loss as best we could. We were thrilled to find out in February that I was pregnant and we began preparing for our rainbow baby. We told our families and friends and anxiously awaited the end of the first trimester. No one understood why we were so cautious but we had grieved our first loss privately, so it didn’t make sense to others. In April, we found out our son had Trisomy 18 at the same time we found out his gender. It was heartbreaking but we persevered. It was the right time—it had to be. We couldn’t possibly be given a rainbow baby for him to be lost. Trisomy 18 took our son away from us (officially) on June 30th, 2022, and I induced on July 6th, 2022. We got to hold our beautiful boy and love on him and send him off to be with his sibling and the rest of our angels. One day, a package got delivered to our door. Not knowing what to expect, I opened it without my husband quickly to realize I should’ve waited. It was a package from Ryker’s Rainbow, and for a time there was a peace and gratitude that outweighed the pain and sadness. It was the beginning of finding a community to accept us and to understand us, and it put us on the path to celebrate our children. It doesn’t get easier but it has become more peaceful because of people and organizations such as Ryker’s Rainbow.”

My family and I have been supporters of Ryker’s Rainbow since it’s inception. We truly adore the Schoff family and wanted to support them after their loss of Ryker. I was so inspired by how they turned their grief into such a special organization that has touched so many people who have lost infants. I never imagined we would be the recipient of one of their blessing boxes too. I knew what the Schoffs were doing was special but I didn’t realize how truly impactful until I received my own. I wasn’t alone in my grief. There was a community that had experienced the same things to help guide me through my own rollercoaster of emotions that I had no idea how to begin to navigate. I will never be able to fully express what their support has meant to me. I am so thankful they have been led to be a light for those of us in what feels like such a dark place. God bless y’all.