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DorothyAnne recently posted a video of some moments during the experience of saying goodbye to Gracie in 2015, a video that has amassed nearly 2 million views on Instagram and 2.7 million views on YouTube to date.
“She only lived 56 minutes in our arms but a lifetime in our hearts,” DorothyAnne reflects. “She changed our hearts.”
She is continuing to change others’ hearts through “Hope Changes Everything.” The song itself was created by DorothyAnne and her son Aidan, who cowrote the song when he was just 12 years old. They wrote the song when friends in their church community also experienced the loss of a baby girl. DorothyAnne and Aidan played the song at the memorial.
“All the feelings came back,” DorothyAnne explains.
Although it’s been years since they said goodbye to Gracie, the family began to feel this year like it was time for her story to be told.
DorothyAnne says, “God doesn’t make mistakes. He creates miracles. Gracie Jade’s life to us is a miracle. I carried her for 9 months. She was born and lived 56 minutes. But the phrase we kept thinking the whole time is that her life is going to leave a legacy. Her life is going to make an impact.”
The viral video of the end of Gracie’s short, beautiful life has been proof of that premonition. As the video and “Hope Changes Everything” make their way into listeners’ lives, DorothyAnne and her family have had the opportunity to let their healing process extend healing to others.
“I’m usually a private person, but I wanted to share with the world how to go through grief healthily,” DorothyAnne shares. “A lot of people said, ‘how did you do it? Your marriage stayed together. Your kids have grown up stronger and healthier.’ I think one of the main factors was our faith, praying through it. Knowing that it’s OK to go through the heartache together, not alone.”
As the instrumental version expands the reach of this powerful song, the family continues to hope that it will speak to anyone who has been through infant loss.
“We’re going to continue to speak about her legacy,” DorothyAnne concludes. “Babies’ lives have a reason, even if it’s just for a short amount of time. Every life has meaning.”
You can listen to the standard and instrumental version of “Hope Changes Everything” on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow DorothyAnne on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, or learn more at DorothyAnne.com. You can learn more of Gracie’s story at GracieJade.com.
Mary Nikkel
Mary Nikkel Media
[email protected]
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