‘I Just Wish I Knew Other Kids With Dads in Heaven’: How a 4-Year-Old Helped His Grieving Military Widow Mom Found a Nonprofit for First Responder Families
After losing her Marine husband, this mom turned her family's heartbreak into a vital lifeline
Key Takeaways
- Ethan, 4, inspired his mother to find other children coping with a parent's death.
- Christine Floyd launched a nonprofit after discovering zero emotional support for young widows.
- The Resilient Hope Foundation now serves over 100 local first responder families.
“Your dad will always be with you in your heart,” Christine Floyd reminded her young son Ethan when he felt sad.
“I just wish I knew other kids with dads in heaven,” he said one night.
Christine’s heart ached because she wished the same for herself.
Marine Sergeant Derek Floyd served his country in Iraq and Afghanistan. It had been two years since he was training to become a firefighter in Long Island, New York, when he died of cardiac arrest.
Christine felt overwhelmed by grief, financial woes and parenting two children, Ethan, then 4, and Abby, 2.
Several first-responder organizations stepped up with financial assistance, but when Christine sought emotional help, she was disheartened to learn support for young widows of first responders did not exist.
“I think the only way I’m going to find other widows is if I look for them,” she told her friend Liz Toro, a police detective who also runs a babysitting service for first responders with unpredictable schedules.
“Let’s get started,” Liz said, and the two made plans.
They spread the word and booked a local play center for their first gathering.
“Do you think anyone will come?” Christine fretted, but before they knew it, more than 100 young widows and their children filled the play center.
While the kids played, the moms shared how it had been since losing their partners.
“My loved ones mean well, but sometimes it feels like pity and that’s not what I need,” said police widow and mother of three Lillian Sivori. “I just want to feel normal again.”
Christine decided to turn her new passion into an official nonprofit called Resilient Hope Foundation.
The group met next for dinner, and then they held an event at the Long Island Children’s Museum.
Ethan and Abby made friends who understood why they feel a little sad when missing their dad.
“When is the next meeting?” Ethan asked his mom nearly every night at bedtime.
Kayden Viviano, whose firefighter dad died in 2022 from lung problems related to 9/11, feels the same way. So does Kayden’s mom, Laura.
“I don’t have family nearby, so I spent a lot of time looking for widows’ support groups. I’m so glad I found Christine.”
What began as a little boy’s desire to meet others who understood his grief has blossomed into a lifeline.
“Derek served his country,” Christine says. “Now, he’s still helping others through all of us.”
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