Mother Finds Hope After Loss

The death of a child is like losing a dream you've always wanted. That's what parents like Karin Peak say. Over the course of just six years, Karin has lost five children to stillbirth and miscarriage.

"When you keep losing like that, you can't think they're going to make it because it's just too painful," said parent Karin Peak.

"To have to tear down a nursery and take all the gifts back is something you never want to go through," said Karin.  

Every day Karen thinks about her loss. She wakes up to several pictures of Jason's little footprints, Richard's tiny hand and the other little ones whose homes are in heaven.

"To go through it once and then to keep going through it five times; it tests your faith. And in the end, you just have to know God loves you through it and make sense of that," said Karin.

With no family history of fertility problems, the hardest part for Karin has been one unanswered question: Why?

"My doctors are baffled. And I've had three different doctors. And they've done everything they could and they just throw up their hands. ‘I've never seen it. I can't explain it.' It's very frustrating," said Karen.

Despite the losses, Karin has four children. Karianne, Angie, Amy and Lucy complete her. A big family is something Karin and her husband Brent always wanted, but never imagined possible.

"They wear the same clothes. They play with the same toys. And they always have a playmate," said Karin.

Angie and Amy were adopted from China. The proud parents say adoption is one of the greatest choices they've ever made.

"To be a parent and to nurture children and raise them is amazing," said Karin.

While time will go by, the little ones who have passed will never be forgotten.

"I have five children in heaven and four here," said Karen.

Karin says Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death, or M.E.N.D., has helped her family cope during the most difficult time in their lives.

M.E.N.D. is a support group. It's a national organization. The only Oklahoma-based chapter opened in April. Anyone who has experienced the loss of a child to miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death, is welcome to attend these free meetings.

M.E.N.D. Director, Michele Wilson, says anyone who experiences this kind of tragedy is sometimes inclined to suppress her or his emotions.

Wilson says it's hard to heal when no one around you can really understand the death of a child. Everyone involved with M.E.N.D. has experienced a very personal loss of their own.

Regular M.E.N.D. Meetings:
Held the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Support Group Location:
Canyon Crossing
1651 E. Old North Road
Sand Springs, OK 74063

Exit N. 81st West Ave. off of Highway 412/64. Go north one mile. Canyon Crossing is on the NW corner at the stop sign.

For More Information on M.E.N.D:
Contact Michele Wilson
PO Box 283
Owasso, OK 74055
918.694.4325 (HEAL)
Michele@mend.org

By Nicole Wiseman, NewsOn6.com and Kyle Dierking, Video Journalist.

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