Ryken’S Journey

Book excerpt: Experiencing love and parenting opens us to unimagined joy as well as crushing heartbreak. Because of one mothers honesty and forthright talent, we can experience both the happiness and sorrow of Rykens Journey and we can also relate the lessons learned to our own hearts and lives. Sally Ann Elliott, Registered Nurse Certified Childbirth Educator Eleven years ago I met Ryken and his parents, Brett and Pam. It was through such an unexpected series of events that I became part of his medical team. Fate. Over the subsequent eleven days, I learned much about Ryken, about his parents, and witnessed the unreserved love of a child from his parents. Rykens Journey is his story. It is the story of his family, the story of his birth, and the story of his death. It is the story of how an individual, no matter how young or how brief a life, can teach us so much about love and living. Dr. Aaron Chiu, Neonatologist