‘I was blown away by the kindness of complete strangers’: Reddit users help grieving father hear late wife’s songs after she died during childbirth

A grieving father just wanted to hear his wife's voice again - the internet stepped in to help

David Maclean
Monday 31 October 2016 10:55 GMT
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Jared with his baby son JJ
Jared with his baby son JJ (KUTV)

A pregnant woman recorded songs dedicated to her baby son while he was still in the womb - which were only discovered after she died during an emergency C-section.

Sharry Buhanan-Decker, 29, passed away in June while giving birth to her first child - a boy called JJ.

Weeks later her husband Jared discovered songs recorded just for her son on a computer at their home, but because of the file format he feared they’d been lost forever.

He turned to Reddit to ask for their help in retrieving the songs, writing: “My wife recently died during the childbirth of our first baby, needless to say life has been hell the last two months.

“She dabbled in writing and recording songs - nothing professional of course - but very important to me. I found her backups … I just want to be able to hear her voice again.”

Within minutes, hundreds of people had offered to help, and he was able to listen to the songs with his new son for the first time.

“She was always stroking her tummy and telling him how much she loved him,” he told Today.

“I was blown away by the kindness of complete strangers. I obviously wish I didn't need it, but tragedies can really bring out the love and compassion in everyone.”

He now regularly listens to the songs with his son at their home in Salt Lake City, Utah, and he says the baby’s face “lights up” when his mother’s voice is heard.

“JJ is my anchor and my salvation in my life right now. He is exhausting, demanding and stressful, but he is my best friend, my everything. He is a literal piece of my lost soulmate and I love him more than I thought possible.”

Doctors believe Sharry may have died from an amniotic fluid embolism during delivery.

Her heart and lungs stopped forcing doctors to perform an emergency C-section. Despite fears that the baby’s health may have been affected, young JJ is thriving.

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