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Heartbreaking

Devastated Parents Have to Bury Their Baby Twice

by Sasha Brown-Worsham on July 20, 2012 at 1:55 PM

buried wrong babyThe idea of having a funeral for a stillborn baby even one time is beyond comprehension for most of us. Now, a family in Texas has to bury their baby son twice after a heartbreaking funeral home mix-up. Apparently, they buried the wrong baby.

The second funeral will come just days after the first one for Armani Angel Mares. Soon after the parents went through the painful process of arranging a funeral and burial for their son, they learned he was actually still in the morgue.

Mistakes happen, sure. But not like this. This is horrifically wrong on so many levels.

Losing a child is a nightmare for all parents. It's what keeps us up at night and makes us follow our kids around the park like loyal dogs. We adore them. We want to protect them. Burying one of them is out of the question. So having to do it twice? My God.

When something like this happens, the first thing some people think about is a lawsuit. And maybe it will come to that. But I have to imagine for these parents, the only real concern is grief. The baby they cried for and prayed for and carried in a coffin wasn't their baby at all.

The story doesn't mention the other family, either. Just whose baby DID they put in the ground? That other family may be in an even worse position. No one from their family was there to say goodbye.

Anything that makes losing a baby any worse than it already is is unacceptable. The funeral home says "mistakes happen," but should they? This is just one of those cases where a "mistake" isn't OK. 

This family will grieve their loss forever. My heart breaks for them.

What would you do in this family's shoes?

 

Image via docguy/Flickr

Filed Under: in the news

Comments

21
  • StarC...
    --

    StarCarrillo

    July 20, 2012 at 2:11 PM
    O M G

    yes, mistakes happen but THIS?! there is no excuse for something like this.... i hope both those angels rest in heaven
  • Allic...
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    AlliceNWnderLnd

    July 20, 2012 at 2:28 PM

    I would sue the hell out of the funeral home. Those poor familys!


  • zizzler
    -- Nonmember comment from

    zizzler

    July 20, 2012 at 2:44 PM
    It wouldn't bother me much. Once the kid is dead, it's just a body. In fact, I would donate any of my children's bodies to research, so there would be no mix-up like this anyhow. But I get that lots of people place a ton of sentiment on a corpse, and being as the funeral home is supposed to be a professional business, they should have done better.
  • Heath...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Heather Duso Johnson

    July 20, 2012 at 2:46 PM

    Really suing?  Maybe be reimbursed for  the funeral but at least the funeral home fessed up the mistake.


  • magen...
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    magenta8200

    July 20, 2012 at 3:26 PM
    The thought of the poor baby all alone in the morgue make me want to cry. I know he's dead, but still. :(
  • the4m...
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    the4mutts

    July 20, 2012 at 3:32 PM
    I agree with heather duso ^^ just get your money back, and move on. It won't bring the baby back to sue, and more money won't make those parents happy.
  • cmjaz
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    cmjaz

    July 20, 2012 at 3:43 PM
    Suing for a mistake is useless. Let's try to think of it this way. That other baby didn't to seem to have anyone to bury him. Maybe this was Gods plan to give an unwanted and forgotten baby a burial it deserved. With people there to mourn his passing, even if it was wrong child. As long as the funeral director reimburses the couple for the funeral, I may just call it divine intervention. I hope they can take some comfort in knowing they gave another baby love that it wouldn't have had otherwise.
  • ldbc
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    ldbc

    July 20, 2012 at 4:13 PM
    Didn't the parents look at the infant in the casket? The whole story us bizarre.
  • Adnama
    -- Nonmember comment from

    Adnama

    July 20, 2012 at 4:18 PM
    I'm more saddened that they named the baby Armani...
  • Victo...
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    Victoria1788

    July 20, 2012 at 7:16 PM
    The horrific part of this story is thinking the funeral is done with, then having to make all the arrangements over again. It's hard enough to bury your child once let alone twice because of someones mistake you trusted. When handling people's loved ones there should be special care taken so a family can grieve and not have to worry about whether the body In the coffin is actually who it's suppose to be.
1-10 of 21 comments

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