Ariana Mae Lusis was born into this world on March 6, 2009. From the moment of birth, she filled our lives with pure joy. We call Ariana our sunshine girl because she was full of light and life! Her bright blue eyes spoke volumes and we saw a wisdom and a peace in her that brought us great comfort. On November 30, 2010, at the age of 21 months, Ariana died in her sleep from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) (later discovered to be SCN1A-related epilepsy).
The grief following Ariana's death was and is unbearable at times. We made a promise to our daughter that we would use our grief as a motivator to give her life a legacy and help others. In August, 2011, we hosted the first annual Run and Play for Ariana Mae. Seven years later, well over $100,000 has been raised to help fund research and family support services through the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Program, the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and to build a playground at Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge, MI. Because of the generosity of our donors, we've also been able to provide assistance to local child loss and special needs families for rent/mortgage payments, funeral expenses and travel. One of our greatest joys comes from giving kindness grants during the holidays to child-loss families and special needs families.
It is our wish that by showing kindness and compassion and encouraging others to do the same, we can help other families through their darkest hours. We do this in honor of Ariana, so that her light continues to shine. Visit www.rememberingariana.com to learn more about our sunshine girl.