Alana's Angels

Alana's Angels Community outreach supporting families who have lost children. When a parent loses a child it shakes their core. We support them and their supporting cast.

Our Story

Welcome to Alana's Angels. I hope that our story inspires you to share information to others in need. It is an amazing feeling to share the hope that we have found over the past 6 years with other families. My name is Alicia Todisco and I share this story with the most amazing man, my husband, Jesse Todisco. Our daughter, Alana Marie Todisco, was born March 14, 2008. My husband and I em

barked on a journey that week that we will never forget and has changed the core of who we are and how we live our lives. Alana was born very sick. We had a very healthy, full-term pregnancy and had no idea she was going to be anything less than perfect. During a 40 hour labor and 3½ hours of pushing Alana was fatally injured. We spent the next full week in the NICU and March 21, 2008 our daughter died. The next few days are truly a blur. We wanted to run away to the beach, the mountains, anywhere but there. We have always been blessed with an amazing cast of support around us. After we left the hospital our special angel Dr. Lynne Whitson took time to organize the funeral arrangements. After a couple of days we laid our tiny baby to rest under the shade of a big beautiful tree…Alana’s Tree. The following weeks were very strange. Jesse was a rock and I was on a rollercoaster that seemed to not stop! One day I was fine and felt as if nothing had happened. I was confident that I had my grief under control. Of course that is…until the next day when I could not get out of bed or control my tears. This went on for a full year. I was spiraling out of control a little more every day. I spent time daily at the cemetery visiting Alana’s grave. I would take a lawn chair and sit for as long as the sun would allow some days. The ground over my poor daughter’s body was healing faster than I was. When the grass began to grow over her grave I was particularly hurt; mad really. There was some comfort in relishing in the raw pain. I felt as if I was dishonoring her short little life if I started to heal. Once I realized that the days of strength were fewer than the days of grief and pain I joined a support group for families who had lost babies. I assure you I understand it is not a club anyone wants to be a part of. However, it seemed to be comforting to me that I was not alone with some of the feelings and thoughts I had been having. These families became a lifeline for me; a club that understood how I felt; my fears, my hopes, my lack of luster for life and my desire not to get stuck in this dark place. They never judged me or said “everything happens for a reason.”

As the weeks continued I would spend time at the cemetery close to my daughter and once a week I was with my group. One day I realized that there were always fresh arrangements at a grave on the other side of Alana’s Tree. As I approached the headstone I realized the date of birth. It was a grave site of a teenage boy. Too young to die and leave his mother and father behind. I wrote a letter to his mother and left it on his headstone. For weeks she and I continued to write back and forth. I again realized that Jesse and I were not going through this core shattering loss alone. I had made a friend under Alana’s Tree. Though we never met she will forever be an inspiration to me in starting this foundation. As we approached Alana’s first birthday my anxiety grew. I realized that the baby I held in my arms for a week would forever live in my heart. However, a decision had to be made. Would she live in a broken heart or would I rebuild a heart that she could live in forever as a happy memory. My genius husband brought this to my attention. As we were driving home one day from a weekend trip from our co-founder of Alana’s Angels, the Sledges, Jesse said to me “Do you realize how lucky we are to have had her for a full week? At some point you are going to need to focus on her life and not her death.” Powerful right? So that is exactly what we did! A few weeks later we invited family and friends to join us in celebrating the life of our daughter. We had our first balloon release and then had a big party with cake and ice-cream. It was so healing and gave us the spark of hope 6 years ago necessary to create this foundation. When we lose a parent or sibling:

Over time we have realized that we want to have more children. Alana was our first child. We have engaged many others who lost a second, third or fourth child. That means there were siblings that had to deal with the loss of their lost brothers and sisters. It is an obvious addition to our focus. A couple of years after we lost Alana my husband lost his mother, Kathy. The pain and grief we had when his mother passed away was very strong. They had a very close relationship. A parents love is a two way street. Parents always refer to their offspring as their children; no matter their age. So we want to reach children of all ages. My husband and his sister’s healing has been a work in progress. The grief is very real and we are encouraged by our experiences to help others reconnect with peace and hope. We lost a baby; we have also lost a parent and a baby before we could give her a name. There are no age limits to consider with our reach. We say children who have lost parents we know that our parents always consider us their children. We say children but we know that the loss of a fetus is losing a child. Share our message with those who have:

• Lost a baby
• Lost a child before they were given a name (miscarriage)
• Lost a young child
• Lost a teen
• Lost an adult child
• Lost a parent
• Lost a sibling

We would be honored to share our story with them in hopes to offer grief relief.

For all my NICU mommies and daddies! I remember when I walked in for the first time and the nurses had put a bow in my s...
10/31/2019

For all my NICU mommies and daddies! I remember when I walked in for the first time and the nurses had put a bow in my sweet baby girl’s hair. It was magical. I think it was the next day I came in she was in a sweet green dress. Could you imagine waking into your sweet baby wearing a costume? What a wonderful dose of reality in an often unreal time of life.

Agreed. After 11 years I still recognize residual personality affects. The good news for my family is that the symptoms ...
09/03/2019

Agreed. After 11 years I still recognize residual personality affects. The good news for my family is that the symptoms are detected easily and early to keep the sadness under control.

How do you manage your reoccurring grief and how do you recognize your symptoms?

Thank you to all who joined us for Alana’s Angels fundraiser this week. For those who have requested the Pampered Chef c...
06/16/2018

Thank you to all who joined us for Alana’s Angels fundraiser this week. For those who have requested the Pampered Chef code to purchase amazing home kitchen tools for a cause here it is. A very special thank you to PS’s Cherie Beasley for your support. We had a great time?

05/13/2018

I’m so humbled to know and walk with so many women who are amazing moms. They are the strongest, most selfless, most kind, most patient, most loving, most joyful, most peaceful, most loyal people I know.
I love each of you and hope we all continue to find our strength HIDDEN IN the Giver of life. 💙💗💙💗

“To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.”
Amy Young

05/13/2018

This is stolen from a precious mommy I respect and am loving to adore. Happy Mother’s Day my sweet angel mommies!!! Many of us share many of these. 💙💜❤️

I’m so humbled to know and walk with so many women who are amazing moms. They are the strongest, most selfless, most kind, most patient, most loving, most joyful, most peaceful, most loyal people I know.
I love each of you and hope we all continue to find our strength HIDDEN IN the Giver of life. 💙💗💙💗

“To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.”
Amy Young

Happy Mother's Day to all moms. Those who have babies here on earth and those of us who have babies loving us from afar.
05/14/2017

Happy Mother's Day to all moms. Those who have babies here on earth and those of us who have babies loving us from afar.

Happy Bereaved Mother's Day to all my special moms. I am eager to know how this special day makes other mothers of angel...
05/08/2017

Happy Bereaved Mother's Day to all my special moms. I am eager to know how this special day makes other mothers of angels feel. I have two children here with me and two in heaven. However, before I had my sons, Mother's Day was very hard for me. I did expect my husband to acknowledge I was a mom even though my kids were not here to hold.

Please share this week. Your thoughts are powerful and may help another family. The week between bereaved Mother's Day and Mother's Day tell us:
-What is your child's name?
-How do you feel about a special holiday?
-Well wishes for other mothers like us

Happy Mother's Day week to all my special mothers!!

https://www.google.com/amp/wsav.com/2017/05/05/women-who-have-lost-a-child-celebrate-their-own-special-mothers-day/amp/

BLUFFTON, Sc. (WSAV) – Sunday is a special holiday not many people know about—Bereaved Mother’s Day—a day that recognizes moms who have lost a child. “When Scott first died, I didn& #821…

If the age of your child was measured in trimesters, minutes, days, weeks or years we all enjoy the keepsakes that remin...
03/02/2017

If the age of your child was measured in trimesters, minutes, days, weeks or years we all enjoy the keepsakes that remind us of our children.

Molly Bears is a non-profit organization that creates weighted teddy bears for families coping with infant loss.

I just finished reading A MONSTER CALLS, by Patrick Ness, and I wanted to share it with all of you.  It is a children's ...
01/13/2017

I just finished reading A MONSTER CALLS, by Patrick Ness, and I wanted to share it with all of you. It is a children's book (and also a major motion film, too - have any of you seen it yet?), but the subject matter is not childish.

It's about a young boy named Conor, whose mother is dying of cancer. Conor meets a monster, a yew tree that grows in the churchyard across the way from his home, who tells him three stories...and then makes Conor confront his worst nightmare.

If you get a chance, I highly recommend it. It offers a different perspective on grief and the place it earns in our lives. (Get it on Amazon here: https://goo.gl/wUggpz)

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Our hearts are with those of you affected by this devastating loss, ...
10/15/2016

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Our hearts are with those of you affected by this devastating loss, and we hope you'll find a safe space here to remember your lost babies.

"When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, there isn’t a word to describe them." President Ronald Reagan.

Even in the face of our wildest storms...
09/26/2016

Even in the face of our wildest storms...

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Atlanta, GA

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+17706854852

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