Hudson Gregory Henriksen

Hudson Gregory Henriksen was the brightest light, the most precious gift and the joy of our lives. This loving, energetic, goofy, giggly little boy brought happiness to everyone he met. At 18-months-old he was already talking up a storm. He had so much to say. He told everyone he met “hi!” and answered every question with “yeah!” until recently, when he’d discovered his new favorite phrase, “no way!”

Hudson loved to be outside! We spent time fishing, camping, hiking and swimming in the St. Croix River. At night he was always looking for the moon and the stars and stopped to point out every airplane that passed through the sky. He was curious and kind and loved to give hugs. He loved dancing to music. He’d beg for his favorite tunes on our Bluetooth radio and would walk through the house, hands in the air, bouncing to the beat. He especially loved to listen to the Trolls soundtrack and his nighttime lullabies by Christina Perri.

Hudson was a big fan of eating! Vegetables were his favorite, which almost no parent can say about their toddler. Hudson’s big, bright eyes captivated everyone who met him and his love for life sparkled through them. He had the most infectious smile and a laugh that made his parents’ heart melt. Hudson was really coming into his own. He was a little boy with a personality bigger than life and he brought immeasurable joy to his family every single day.

On January 8th, 2024, our perfect boy was stolen from us in the middle of the night. We put him to bed with a dose of Tylenol after a mild fever and woke in the middle of the night to find him unresponsive. We have no answers nor an understanding of how this could happen. How a perfectly healthy 18-month-old little boy could pass away in his sleep.

We ask you to please donate to the SUDC Foundation in Hudson’s honor. SUDC stands for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood. It’s a category of death in children between the ages of 1 and 18 years old that remains unexplained after a thorough autopsy. Currently, the medical world does not know what causes SUDC, how to predict it or how to prevent it. And yet, it is the fifth leading cause of death among children 1 to 4 years old. While similar to SIDS, many people have never heard of SUDC and research receives very little funding in comparison.

The money raised in Hudson’s honor will go directly to the SUDC Foundation and will help fund an NYU research study Hudson is now a part of. Our hearts are shattered. Our boy is gone and we must find a way to live through this immense pain without him. We are determined to find answers, to have a way to understand his death. And while we know no explanation will ever bring our son back, we hope we can play a role in preventing another family from enduring our pain.