Angie Brumleve
Some people only dream of angels. We held one in our arms.
My name is Angie Brumleve. I live with my husband, Derek, and family in Teutopolis, IL. Derek and I have 4 amazing children Olivia, Hadley, Eli, and our angel Laila Angela. Laila was diagnosed with a fatal anomaly at our 20 week ultrasound. My medical team informed my husband and I to prepare for the possibility of her being stillborn. In March of 2021, Laila was born and God gave us 4 amazing hours to be a family of 6 and show her unconditional love. Prior to losing our daughter, my nephew, Henry, passed away at 3 days old. Losing our nephew and then our daughter has been the hardest events in our lives. My husband, children, and myself are learning how to live with this grief, as it changes daily. On our family vacation the summer after Laila's passing, I saw an Angel of Hope statue in the middle of Albion, IL town square. At that moment, I felt hope and comfort knowing my daughter was with me. It is my desire to now help other families share their experience of infant and child loss, celebrate their children, and find hope in the future with the Angel of Hope Statue.
Tasha Ruholl
My name is Tasha Ruholl. I live in Teutopolis with my husband, Dustin. We have four wonderful boys--Drasen, Drew, Dawson and Daniel, who we lost in October 2017. We are parents who have experienced pregnancy loss in every trimester. Daniel passed away at 30 weeks gestation due to stillbirth, which was likely caused by a malformation of the umbilical cord known as a velamentous cord insertion. The two days we spent with him in the hospital were the most memorable yet painful days we have ever endured, as well as the days, weeks and months to follow. A year after his passing, we lost a subsequent pregnancy at 10 weeks followed by another loss in December 2020 at 15 weeks. Both losses were so deeply mourned. However, losing our son, Daniel, was the greatest tragedy of our lives. Giving birth to him, holding him, and seeing the beauty and perfection in every feature God gave him made our heartache be felt on such an unimaginable level. Knowing we would never take him home, never hold him again and never watch him grow alongside his siblings was beyond what our hearts could endure. Through our own grief journey, we recognize grief never ends—it only changes form as time passes. Over the years, we have been able to find happiness again as well as acceptance of our son’s death. Although we will never stop mourning our son or our other losses, we have learned how to live a fulfilled life of love, laughter and joy with our amazing boys while still keeping Daniel present in our lives. With the Statue of Hope and healing garden, parents/family who have experienced pregnancy loss or infant/child loss will have a place to honor their loved one and find a sense of community with others who have experienced a similar tragedy. We hope and pray this place can bring healing to so many in the years to come!
Laura Schumacher
I am Laura Schumacher. My husband Korey and I were married in May of 2013 and we live here in Teutopolis. We have two beautiful girls at home, Gracie and Addison. We are so blessed and we thank God for them every day. On May 23, 2019 we welcomed a beautiful boy into this world, our son Konnor Joseph. He is my reason for being part of White Lily Project. At the 20 week ultrasound during my pregnancy with him, he was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the cavities deep within the brain. We were absolutely devastated but still prayed for a miracle. Maybe the doctors were wrong, maybe there was something we could do to fix it, or maybe it wasn’t as bad as what we were thinking. We had many, many more ultrasounds and appointments with specialists to prepare us for what the outcome could be. It didn’t look good, but nothing was going to be known until after delivery. We welcomed him into this world through a scheduled C-section at 34 weeks. We were able to hold him, touch him, tell him how much we loved him, and have him baptized. We were given a miracle that day, and that miracle was time with our son before he passed away. We had 6 hours with him before he became our little angel. All he knew in his short life was love and comfort. We miss him every day and will continue to miss him every day. We include him in all of our daily happenings, big or small, and he sends us signs that he is with us. I look forward to having this project completed, having our Angel of Hope here in Teutopolis, and having a place for families, who have also gone through a devastating loss, to find peace.
Sarah Lucht
My name is Sarah Lucht. I am excited to be a part of the White Lily Project for many reasons. On March 31, 2017, my husband, Trevor, and I welcomed our first son Henry. Very quickly after his birth, we learned he had a congenital heart defect that went undetected throughout our pregnancy. We were lucky enough to get three special days with him before he went to be with Jesus. It is hard to believe that we are celebrating his 5th heavenly Birthday this year. Henry now has 2 siblings at home, Oliver and Caroline, who both love to visit his grave and bring him play-dough hearts, fishing bobbers, and painted rocks! In March of 2021, my niece, Laila Brumleve, passed away 4 hours after she was born surrounded by her amazing family. She was a little miracle that defeated all odds.
I am excited to bring the Angel of Hope statue to Teutopolis so family members and friends who have also experienced pregnancy loss have a special place to grieve and remember their child. I believe that by providing our community with an Angel of Hope statue and memorial garden, many grief journeys will be positively affected, and hope and healing can be found for parents, siblings, grandparents, and extended family members.