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Dear Ritchie,

I have read Mama, I’m Tired and I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to you for sharing your poignant and powerful book with me. Your story, your son Chris’s journey, and the incredible love and strength you demonstrated throughout his illness have left an indelible mark on my heart.

Reading your book was an humbling and profoundly moving experience. Your raw honesty in documenting every moment of Chris’s battle against cancer has transformed my understanding of suffering, pain, and the complexities of illness. Your ability to capture the depths of his struggles, as well as the love and care you provided him every day for 15 months, is truly remarkable.

I felt like I was walking alongside both you and Chris during those challenging times. Your unwavering dedication, your courage, and your resilience in the face of adversity have inspired me beyond words.

Chris’s story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the boundless love that exists within families. Your commitment to ensuring his comfort and well-being shines through every page, and I am in awe of the love that radiates from your words.

Please know that your book has left an indelible impact on me, and I am grateful for the privilege of reading it. Your courage to share such a personal journey will undoubtedly touch the lives of others who have walked a similar path or who seek to better understand the challenges faced by those dealing with illness.

I’m unsure why, but I have found myself reading the writings during the past year about parent’s who lost their child. I’ve always felt a strong sympathy for other losses, yet after reading these peoples loss and internalizing them, then writing about such losses in my books, such as the death of characters such at Timmy Thompson and Bobby Freeman, my sympathy has evolved into a painful and deep empathy that hangs onto my heart everyday. I still grieve for Timmy and Bobby.

I can’t imagine the reason these stories of others have been brought before me, since I have no children or loved ones, yet they have. As you wrote, each person grieves differently, but I believe those who lost a child grieves deeper than the rest of us. I’m sorry for a long letter, but I would like to reflect upon some lessons I have learned from you, as I stated above.

It’s critical when you are mourning to tell your story. Tell the story of your child. Tell it over and over and over and over until you no longer feel you need to tell it again.  For some people its months, others a lifetime.  Those words struck me like the word of God. It drove into me the importance to listen over and over and over again to those who need to tell their story again and again. This is one of the greatest lessons I’ve ever learned.

Your book has kept the flame of human understanding burning eternally within my being. I’m a better person for reading your story, I did not read a story of disease, I read a healthy story of  love, strength, and family, which will eternally remain.

With utmost respect and gratitude,