Baby gets gifts from grieving strangers
When Trey Brown was born last week at a Windsor, Ont., hospital, his parents, Lisa Kampf and Grant Brown, had no idea a family they had never met would make their baby's birth so special.
The Mamo family lost their 14-year-old son Bryce on Feb. 22 last year to cancer, and they decided to keep his memory alive by giving a gift to the first son born on the first anniversary of Bryce's death. That boy turned out to be Trey Brown.
At first, the parents didn't accept the gift bag filled with baby outfits. They hadn't announced to anyone that Trey had been born, and they thought the gift was meant for someone else. They didn't recognize the name on the card, but the hospital nurse explained the gesture, and they were touched.
"It was definitely a conversation stopper," said Kampf. "It just put a whole lot more meaning into him arriving, and to know that the unfortunate thing of losing a son, but we're gaining one — hopefully, Bryce is watching over our son, and we're very thankful to have him."
The Mamos turned their loss into a positive situation by paying it forward.
The card read, "'Hello. We would like to thank you for accepting this gift. Our son passed away one year ago today, and we needed to do something special in remembrance. We hope that you make many wonderful memories with your son. Enjoy every day, every moment, for he is precious," Kampf said.
Kampf, from Amherstburg, Ont., calls Bryce her baby's guardian angel.
"He's our third and he was not expected anyway," Kampf laughs. "But we're glad he's here, and he's definitely a joy, and now he has an angel looking over [Trey]."
Kampf said it's "good karma" to remember Bryce, so they named their new bundle of joy Trey William Bryce Kampf Brown.
The new parents have been trying to contact the Mamos to thank them for sharing their joy and pain with complete strangers. Kampf wants the Mamos to know that their son's name lives on.
