Lynette asked us if we'd pass this on to you guys and of course we were happy to. Maybe some good can come out of a terrible loss.
Hello,
I have been a DBR reader for about seven years now and a die-hard Blue Devil fan for the past 12 years. My daughter Katie married into a three generation's worth Blue Devil supporting family from Jacksonville NC. In fact, both our grandchildren had Duke fan gear purchased before they were even born!
That is why I am writing. Our grandson, Barrett Edward Tallman, died on March 15th of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion - they rule out everything else -- and then you are left with this giant aching question mark as to why a perfect little baby-- beloved and well cared for-- dies in his sleep at 6 1/2 months old. Even though the rate of SIDS death has fallen dramatically in the past 20 years, over 2500 families suffer a loss of a child before age one of this insidious syndrome. The heartbreak of not knowing why compounds the grief we all feel. The only answer is to attack -- fund research to unlock this horrible mystery so that someday, parents and grandparents aren't faced with this empty void instead of a smiling, giggling, happy baby boy to love and cherish. April 20th is National SIDS Awareness Day and the culmination of the "SpringforSIDS campaign. We have put together "Team Barrett" to honor our little guy AND to raise funds to help fund the needed research. I am reaching out to your audience, because I know them to be a caring group of people who proudly show off pictures of their children and grandchildren sporting Duke gear and love them with all their hearts. It is my hope you will be moved to post my email on your website, and that Duke Fans will be willing to this for a little Duke fan who never had the chance to see a Duke- Tarhole game (although we certainly had plans for him to do so!)   Here is the link
or you can mail a check to American SIDS Institute, 528 Raven Way, Naples FL 34110 (please put Team Barrett in the memo line).
Every little bit helps and I hope your readers will be moved to respond with a donation.
Thank you so much.....and GO DUKE!
Lynnette Lowrimore
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