Connor’s Cruisers

Welcome to our new fundraising page. As many of you know we have participated in the Annual Breath of Life Stroll over the last 7 years in efforts to honor Connor and continue to raise awareness and education around SIDS. Cribs for Kids not only helped us through our journey called grief, but it continues to provide bereavement support to families, education programs to caregivers and safe sleep materials to new families. My hope is that by sharing our story you too will want to become involved in helping us promote education and services around the safe sleep initiative to keep other families from experiencing the dangers of unsafe sleep environments.

On September 5, 2012 we welcomed Connor Patrick Talik into our family. We were all set. We had our two healthy boys and thought that we were the luckiest people in the world. Connor was growing and thriving and getting used to his big brother, Jackson, who was already smitten with his baby brother.

Then, November 29, 2012 came and changed our world forever. I had just been back to work for not even two weeks and trying to get settled into a routine. The mornings were crazy but in a fun kind of way, they way you

would expect it to be with two little boys. I remember getting Jackson ready that morning and him helping me feed Connor just before we left. I dropped both boys off at the babysitter’s just as I had done before and never gave it another thought. I got to work and on with my day. Then, around noon my phone rang and it was the police department calling to say that there was an accident involving one of my sons at the sitter’s house. I was asked to contact my husband and to meet at Children’s Hospital. The police would not tell us anything other than to come to the hospital. I raced there with a heavy heart. I was about halfway to the hospital when my heart realized that Connor had passed away during his morning nap.

As we continue to search for answers as to what happened that morning, we are hopeful that we can help lead an initiative to educate and support the studies around SIDS research. We have learned that Connor was put to sleep on his tummy that morning and as a result died of SUIDS. This is Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Syndrome – a form of SIDS. They major difference between the two types is the sleep positions. There are still so many unanswered questions about what causes SIDS and SUIDS and how to prevent it.

Please join us to honor Connor’s memory and also to raise awareness about SIDS. You can walk alongside us or simply donate to “Connor’s Cruisers” in his honor.