Our dear Charity and Oliver faced the reality that, at 24 weeks gestation, it was time to meet their little boy and give Mama and Baby the best chances for the future. While labor was induced, Charity’s health supervised to the minute details, and Baby Matthew’s sweet rhythmic heartbeat comforted each of us, we prayed and left all to our Heavenly Parents tender watch and care.

Heartbreakingly, despite excellent medical care, Wednesday afternoon at 12:57pm, heaven and earth collided, where the sweetest spirit left this world. Charity and Oliver embraced their angel baby boy, Matthew Casey Strong, weighing 12.9 ounces (364 grams) and measuring 10 inches long. While his time on this earth was far too short, his family’s endless love for both him and his parents is timeless. Matthew’s perfectly formed features are forever ingrained in our hearts. He is truly perfect. While all our hearts feel shredded with the temporal loss of our sweet Matthew, there is no denying the tender spirit that filled that sweet little body. We find comfort in the truth that families are forever and look forward to seeing Matthew again.