Jack Philip Schoenherr

Our firstborn son, Jack Philip Schoenherr, was born on April 7, 2011. Jack was outgoing and goofy…the kind of kid who never knew a stranger.  He loved to dance, he loved nothing more than a party, and he was always on the go. He was a happy, healthy and thriving toddler.

On the morning of Oct 6, 2013, Meredith went to wake him up and found that he had passed away in his sleep. His death was ruled Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). SUDC is defined as the sudden and unexpected death of a child over the age of 12 months, which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation and autopsy.

Most people are unfamiliar with SUDC, as were we, but it is the 5th leading cause of childhood death in the U.S. We were very lucky to find the SUDC Foundation right away, and they were a lifeline for us. They helped us deal with medical examiners and geneticists, connected us with parents in the same situation, and provided much-needed resources for coping. Now we work with the Foundation on advocacy efforts and research projects that could one day help find answers.

Jack will forever be missed, more than words can explain. But we know his spirit lives on, and we know how lucky we were to have him in our lives, if only for two and a half years.

We thank you for taking your time to remember Jack, and support SUDC.

Sincerely,

Meredith and Todd Schoenherr