What people don’t understand is that I’d rather talk about Jake’s life than his death — about who he was and what he loved to do. I’d love to share that his favorite toy was his red fire truck and that his favorite shirt said, “Believe the hype.” In the end, that’s what really matters.
Those are the kind of questions I’ll never get tired of answering.
Heather Straughter is the host of “A Place of Yes,” a podcast exploring grief, loss, and joy. She is the president of Jake’s Help From Heaven, a nonprofit supporting families of children with complex medical needs. Her writing has appeared in Newsweek and Business Insider. She lives in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with her husband, Brian, and their son, Ethan, who attends Syracuse University.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost in May 2026.
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