Broken-Hearted Parents Can't Afford Headstones For Deceased Sons
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MANSFIELD(CBS11) - When Courtney and Andy Theus visit the cemetery, they pass the rows of gravestones and flowers. They head to the far edge of Skyvue Memorial Gardens in Mansfield, where weeds sprout, and they find the tiny plots, marked by small silver circles labeling them #40 and #136.
This is where the couple buried two babies within one year.
"It just makes me kinda feel a little sad it's not as decorated or as nice, because those were people, too. They were babies, but they were people. And, they matter," said Courtney.
The pair says they always wanted a large family. "We used to have a list of names, and we used to sleep with it under our bed. And when we'd pray at night, we'd ask God to give us these children," said Andy.
After several years struggling with infertility, Courtney finally became pregnant.
"Out of the blue one day, I just felt ill," she said. She remembers thinking she'd won the lottery.
"It was the most exciting feeling in the world because we'd been wanting it for so long," she said.
Then, during a doctor's appointment, five months in, she went into early labor. Baby Austin weighed half a pound. "I was in the room, and I cut the umblical cord, and he gasped for air, while I was holding him," said Andy.
He survived only two hours.
"(The hospital staff) took one look at him and kinda said, 'No'," said Andy. "We had to watch that. It was horrible. It was probably the worst day of my life," said Courtney.
Still grieving, she became pregnant again. Like a recurring nightmare, five months later, baby Aiden died, as well.
"I just started bleeding out of nowhere," recalls Courtney. "'Not again,' literally how I felt, 'not again'."
His parents mourned silently, until recently when the desire to honor their sons prompted them to share their story and ask if anyone would help them raise $2,500 to mark the spot they often visit with a gravestone.
"It feels like what I'm supposed to do. I'm their father. I don't get to put them in PeeWee, but we can spend some time together," said Andy.
Courtney is now pregnant, this time with a baby girl and under special medical care. Their dreams for a large family have been replaced with appreciation for whatever blessings they receive.
"If we just have one…," said Courtney.
"One running around the house – we'll be satisfied," finished Andy.
Still, they'll never forget their baby boys. "They're like my little angels. I know they're always around me. I can feel them. They make me stronger," said Courtney.
Within 10 minutes of our story airing Wednesday night, @CBSDFW viewers raised $1,000 to help give this family a gravestone for their two sons.
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