Family Honors Son’s Memory by Supporting Others Through Loss

For Nicole Dice and Bill Dice, the memory of their son Daniel has become a way to support other families experiencing loss and give back to their community. Daniel was born at WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital on November 6, 2015, with
thanatophoric dysplasia.

Nicole and Bill knew before his birth that his life would likely be short. Daniel lived for 89 minutes, with his parents holding him before he passed away. After spending the next few days at the hospital with Daniel, Nicole remembers how difficult it
was to eventually leave without their baby.

In the months that followed, she and Bill began thinking about how they could honor Daniel while also helping other families going through similar experiences. “We wanted to help other families,” Nicole said. “We wanted to keep his memory alive.”
As a part of that commitment, Loving Daniel recently returned to Uniontown Hospital with a donation supporting bereavement care, including baby blankets, a replacement CuddleCot cooling pad and $1,000 toward bereavement education for nurses.

For Nicole, supporting specialized bereavement education is particularly meaningful because of
the care her own family received following Daniel’s birth. “When you have a loss, there is a different way that I feel you need treated medically by your nursing staff,” she said.

Nicole remembers how the nurses caring for her family understood that the time she and Bill had with Daniel was limited and valuable. Even small gestures, such as staff asking permission before entering their room, allowed them to make the most of the time they had together.

“The only time we had with our baby was the time in the hospital,” Nicole said. “Every single minute counts.”

That experience showed Nicole the importance of helping nurses understand the unique needs of families experiencing loss, from the language they use to recognizing when a family may need additional time and space to grieve.
Over the years, Loving Daniel’s work has expanded beyond bereavement support. The organization has raised nearly $50,000 for March of Dimes and has helped provide baby supplies to low-income military families.

“I would say I’m probably most proud of the range of impact that we’ve made in memory of
Daniel,” Nicole said.

Loving Daniel has also become a family effort. Nicole and Bill often involve their children in the organization, giving them an opportunity to honor their brother through the work they do as a family. Their 9-year-old son, Manny, and almost 2-year-old daughter, Anna, regularly join their parents at Loving Daniel events.

Nicole also credits the community members who have supported Loving Daniel and helped make the organization’s work possible.

“We couldn’t do it without the support of all of the people in the community who believe in our mission to help other families,” Nicole said. “We’re so deeply grateful to all the people that donate to us because we wouldn’t be able to do all this work in memory of Daniel.”

For Nicole and Bill, continuing this work is also deeply connected to their faith and what they feel called to do. “I truly am proud that my husband and I have taken on that cross,” Nicole said, “and are following what we truly feel that God has led us to do.”

Through Loving Daniel, Nicole and her family continue to support families, provide resources and contribute to bereavement care in the community, all while keeping Daniel’s memory at the center of their work.