Letters sent to parents experiencing infant loss in name of Lincoln woman’s son Spencer

42 letters were put in the mail Wednesday on behalf of Governor Pete Ricketts.

They’ll be sent to parents grieving the loss of their infant children, addressed by a Lincoln mom who knows all too well what those parents are going through.

Her son Spencer Keith was born last October with the genetic disorder Trisomy 18.

He lived for 96 minutes.

A few months after his death, Konecky got a letter in the mail addressed to Spencer.

“I received a card on behalf of the governor congratulating me on the birth of my baby and reminding me to keep his immunizations up to date,” she said.

Konecky said she was angry and sad, and decided to take action.

She sent the governor pictures of Spencer, she told him what had happened and said she wanted to help the governor’s office send condolence cards to families like hers.

“When your baby dies you miss out on so much,” Konecky said. “No family pictures, no birthday party invitations, no report cards.”

Now they’ll have this card with their baby’s name on it.

All because of Spencer.

“A piece of him lives on and he has a legacy and he was here for a purpose, he was here for a reason and his 96 minutes on this earth actually can create change.”

Ricketts not only supported her mission, but has nominated Konecky as Nebraska’s nominee for America’s Mother of the Year.

“What Erin demonstrates and why I’ve nominated her as mother of the year is that one person can make a difference by stepping up and seeing a need Erin is able to help all those families,” Ricketts said.

Konecky collects the names and addresses of the families herself and funds the project out of her own pocket, but she said it’s worth it.

“If I can make ten parents think about their baby in a positive light and know their baby was recognized by someone important then I think it’s worth it and I’m going to keep doing it for as long as I can.”

If you know someone whose experienced infant loss and you’d like them to receive a letter from Rickett’s office email Konecky at koneckyerin@gmail.com.

Konecky is also accepting donations to support the cause.