As an outbreak of enterovirus D68 spread across the United States last fall, many parents were swept up by the news, nervously watching to see whether the respiratory illness posed a threat to their children.
EV-D68 is one of more than 100 different types of non-polio enteroviruses, which generally result in only mild illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between August 2014 and January 2015, more than 1,150 individuals — mostly children — were infected with the virus, a number much higher than what has been reported in previous years. Most instances of EV-D68 are not life-threatening.
For 4-year-old Eli Waller, it was.
On Sept. 25, 2014, the New Jersey preschooler, the only boy in a set of triplets, died in his sleep.
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When Sydney and Ava are old enough, Andy and Susan plan to sit them down and discuss what they have done through the First Day of School Foundation. They intend to ask their daughters how they envision the organization’s future and whether they want to be involved themselves or simply move on.
Until then, working with their nonprofit is helping the parents with the long, hard process of trying to heal.
“Sometimes I’ll have doubts in my mind when it’s the middle of the night and I’m sending emails and I’ll think, ‘What am I doing to myself?'” Andy said. “But in another sense, it’s very easy, because this is a thing I can do that can move me toward love and family … and being okay.”
This post is part of HuffPost’s Transforming Tragedy series (read more here, here, here and here). If you or someone you know has started a charity after the loss of a child, we’d love to hear your story. To submit a nomination, email thirdmetric@huffingtonpost.com.
