Resources for Bereaved Families

If you have lost your precious child, we hope you will find a sense of connection and community within the NEC Society. Our resources are built by families who have lost their own children to NEC, and reflect what we wish we would have known when our child passed away.

Support After Loss

Losing a child is one of the most profound and unimaginable losses a family can face. You are never alone when you join the NEC Society’s community. Every family’s grief journey is different and our resources are designed to help you navigate your path toward peace and connect with others who understand the depth of your loss.

Our Bereaved Family Resource Box was developed by bereaved families, and provides the information we wish we would have had when we lost our child.

The box supports families in the knowledge that they will always be their baby’s parent, and that their precious child will always be part of their life. Tree of Courage note cards and plantable seed paper, to plant in memory of their child, are also included. Request a bereaved family resource box.

Bereaved Resource Box
Micah Life Celebration

More Resources Our Bereaved Families Have Found Helpful

Storybooks for Bereaved Families

  • Forever Our Little One is a storybook for bereaved families, written by NEC Society’s founder/executive director, Jennifer Canvasser, after she lost her little one, Micah, to NEC. 
  • The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr
  • Ida, Always by Caron Levis
Leslie and Jennifer holding Forever Our Little One and a picture of Micah
Lyddia holding her son Rexton
Lyddia holding her son Rexton

NEC Society Connects

A private FaceBook group to help parents connect with others who have been personally affected by necrotizing enterocolitis. This group is exclusively for patient-families and a safe space for those impacted by NEC. To be admitted, you must share how you are personally connected to this disease.

Articles by the NEC Society

This collection of articles is meant to support you, help you navigate your grief, and offer solace through the stories of others who understand the depth of your loss. 

Reed sleeping
We took turns holding Reed, pouring every ounce of love that we had into him ...
Leslie and Jennifer holding Forever Our Little One and a picture of Micah
Forever Our Little One is a storybook for families to read together after the devastating ...
tree of courage painting
My grandson Micah developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) when he was nearly six weeks old, after ...
Micah Life Celebration
Created by bereaved parents for bereaved parents. What we wish someone had told us when ...
Ditya and Pabita
A mother’s journey through her daughter Ditya’s premature birth, NICU struggles, and the devastating impact ...
Matilda sleeping in bed
Matilda was born prematurely at 33 weeks alongside her identical twin sister, Charlotte, and initially ...
Leyden in her Mother's arms
After losing her daughter Leyden to NEC, a mother reflects on the heartbreak and the ...