The Fearfully & Wonderfully Made Project

My name is Carolyn Aarnoutse, my husband Adrian and I are the parents of 5 beautiful children, Annemieke, Saskia, Anja, Adriaan and Willem. Our sweet Willem passed away July 30 2017. We were so happy to have a perfect family and the perfect life. This was the life I had always dreamt of.

So here is my story: (Only read it if you feel comfortable)

On a warm sunny afternoon last summer, I took my five beautiful children to the Legislature grounds to cool off. The afternoon was lovely and relaxed, and everyone had a wonderful time splashing in the pools. Little did I know that today was the day that our perfect life would change ... forever.

I put that perfect little boy down for a nap after another busy day of laughter and making memories together; he never woke up. The rest of that afternoon is a blur but what I do remember is that it was the worst moment of my life. Not knowing what happened or why this had happened tore us apart. We prayed harder then we have ever prayed. We cried until there were no more tears. While waiting in the hospital we had so much running through our minds; would our little boy survive? If he did, would he even be normal again? Would our family survive or ever be normal again? Our sweet little boy did not survive but was able to give the greatest gift of all to two families. The gift of life! We chose to donate Willem’s heart and liver, which were received by two sweet babies. These babies now have the opportunity to live a full healthy life.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

One of the most important things we have learned in life is the importance of community. We could not have gotten through this without the overwhelming support and kindness of our family, friends, and church community.

I believe every life is precious and needs to be honored. Willem brought us so much joy and we wanted to bring that joy to others. As part of my healing, on what would have been Willem’s 1st + 2nd + 3rd + 5 and 6 birthday on January 10, we put together and delivered 20 bags to the maternity ward at the Lois Hole Hospital. Meeting new parents and gifting them with a bag on that day was such an uplifting experience for our family. Receiving encouraging letters from mothers who received our bags has been a blessing. This year for Willem’s 4th birthday we brought bags to the “Back Porch” in Edmonton. This has been an amazing experience and has inspired me to continue.

Since Willem’s 1st birthday I have continued to curate bags and have delivered to more than 600 families. These bags are full of carefully chosen items that we believe are both beautiful and practical. This project has pushed me out of my comfort and also inspired and encouraged me in ways I never could have imagined. My hope for this project is that we can work together to create community and bring joy to each other in memory of Willem Kees Huig Aarnoutse.

With Love;

Adrian, Carolyn, Annemieke, Saskia, Anja & Adriaan

Where we are at…