We do not know what happened to Rosie. She was perfectly healthy and passed away in her sleep. After a thorough autopsy and even additional testing/research by both the SUDC Foundation & the Robert's Program - we were unable to identify a cause of death. That put us in the "SUDC" camp - a diagnosis of exclusion, for when no other medical explanation is available for the death of a child over the age of 12 months. We had never heard of this before, but it is the 5th leading cause of death among children ages 1-4.

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After Rosie passed away, we found ourselves on the SUDC Foundation's website and on the phone with the president and fellow SUDC mother, Laura Crandall. They are a non-profit organization that is dedicated to advocating for the needs of bereaved families affected by these tragedies, increasing awareness of sudden unexpected deaths in childhood, and funding crucial research into the causes and prevention of SUDC. 

 

They are the only organization worldwide devoted solely to the needs of families and professionals touched by unexplained death in childhood.

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They have been incredibly helpful to us - with personal phone calls, a plethora of grief resources, enabling us to make connections with other SUDC parents, funding for genetic screening, serving as an advocate for us with the medical examiner investigating Rosie's case, and emotional support. 

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