During last weekend’s Time for Remembering event, Jodi Thompson plants a flower for her daughter Brandi, who died in 2010. (photo by Jeremy Rush)
Time for Remembering
During the “Time for Remembering” event at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Jodi Thompson approached a brightly colored photo of her daughter Brandi hanging on a ribbon. She softly kissed her cheek, careful not to smudge the ink.
Ribbons with inspirational messages by family members were hung in the Friends Garden. (photo by Jeremy Rush)
Brandi – a vibrant 9-year-old who loved flowers, music and hockey – died in November 2010 after a long battle with cancer.
Thompson was joined by more than 600 other people on Sunday at the annual event, which honors children who have died.
Time for Remembering, now in its 15th year, gives families a chance to return and visit with doctors, nurses and others who helped care for them at Children’s Hospital.
Jodi Thompson, right, reminisces about her daughter Brandi with Sara Reynolds, Child Life specialist at Children’s Hospital. (photo by Jeremy Rush)
“It really makes me feel close to her,” said Thompson. “Like she’s here with me.”
After a special ceremony at Blair School of Music's Ingram Hall, families strolled to Children’s Hospital’s Friends Garden, where they planted flowers in honor of their children. Specially prepared ribbons with inspirational messages written by family members adorned the trees in the garden.
William Walsh, M.D., professor of Pediatrics in Neonatology and director of Nurseries at Children’s Hospital, has attended every Time for Remembering event since its inception.
“Losing a child is so hard … so inexplicable … that all we can do is comfort each other as humans,” Walsh said. “It’s an incredible honor for us as doctors to have cared for these children, but it’s also important that we do what we can do to honor their lives.”
For Thompson, the day is a time to heal and to connect with others who were touched by her daughter.
“She will never be forgotten,” said Jodi. “It just helps you move forward and go on, and know that they still remember her too.”