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It was tragedy that brought Andrea Gumpert and David Bell to Roger Neilson House after the accidental death of their toddler son, Etienne, in 2011.

“I didn’t want to go on,” says Gumpert, looking back on the period after her first son died of head trauma while at daycare. Bereavement support from Roger Neilson House helped the couple to cope with crushing grief and find a way to go on.

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“We got to meet other parents who recently lost a child. We weren’t alone and that helped,” said Bell.

The birth of their second son, Emanuel, just a month after Etienne’s death, deepened the family’s connection to the organization that focuses on children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Emanuel was born with a rare genetic disorder and receives pain management and respite care at Roger’s House. Now eight, he is developmentally delayed, non-verbal and non-mobile.

“Life has given us some awfully cruel twists and turns,“ said Bell in a 2016 video about Roger Neilson House.