Born from love and loss

On January 23, 2025, we went in for our routine 20-week anatomy scan — excited, hopeful, and full of anticipation. Then we heard the words no parent ever wants to hear: "I'm sorry, but we can't find a heartbeat."

What unraveled over the next 24 hours was both great love and great loss.

The next morning, at 5:19 am, Abby delivered our baby girl — Clare Elyse Coons. She was beautiful. Ten fingers, ten toes, born sleeping.

We were able to spend the next ten hours with her before we said our earthly goodbyes. Those hours were sacred. They were ours.

While the hospital staff was incredible, as a grieving couple you are faced with excruciating decisions in the depths of your worst moments — burial or cremation? A hospital burial or assistance from a funeral home? Each decision carries a financial burden that no family should ever have to bear alone for a baby they don't get to raise.

The costs don't stop there. Labor and delivery expenses — hospital stays, medical fees, and the care surrounding birth — add yet another layer of financial weight during an already unbearable time. These are bills that arrive in the mail while a family is still deep in grief.

That is why we created The Clare Elyse Foundation — to rally behind deserving families who are in need of financial assistance during one of life's most unimaginable moments.