The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:38 PM
Knoxville Mother Channels Grief Over Death Of A Child Through "Zion's Saving Grace" Program
Dee Dee Moore celebrated the release of her book, "Zion's Saving Grace," with her husband, Kenny, at The Church of Knoxville on Saturday evening.
"Today is hard," Moore said of the event. "It's celebratory, but it's very hard because it reminds me of what I lost."
Moore said Zion died back in 2014 when he was just five months old, adding that he spent that entire five months in the neonatal intensive care unit, fighting for his life.
"We got so many messages after he passed, and phone calls and texts about how his life and journey through the NICU have touched so many people," Moore said.
She included what she called inspirational messages from her friends that helped her through that time of heartbreak, and even included pages from her diary.
"I'm hoping that through this book people will want to talk about it, because through me talking about it, it helps with the healing process," Moore said.
Zion's death led to a dark time for Moore. It was a "very lonely place" she said, but she and her husband got through it. She said she hopes other parents will take a page from her book and open up when tragedy strikes so they can heal and more forward.