*If you don’t want to cry, I recommend you don’t read this post right now. I was in rough shape while writing and researching it.
*My thoughts and prayers go out to the Trey and Nicole Flynn, their family and friends, and their superhero son Holden who we lost way too soon.
Every now and then you meet somebody that you make an instant connection with. Trey Flynn is one of those guys for me. We’re both big sports fans, we’re both hard workers, and we both have kids that were born with congenital heart defects.
My daughter, Barbara, was born with a CHD, and her condition required open-heart surgery to save her life. After “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” was kind enough to share our story, my wife and I had many different CHD parents reach out to us. Trey and Nicole Flynn were one of those families.
Trey and Nicole’s son, Holden, was born with a CHD and the family, along with the amazing Arnold Palmer Hospital helped raise awareness for heart babies by making this great video about Holden’s journey.
Soon thereafter, Trey become a member of Life of Dad, and started contributing columns, and interacting with other dads in our community. Trey and Holden appeared in the CHD Awareness video we made, of dads and their CHD superhero kids singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Even though we have never met, Trey became a friend. His sense of humor is contagious, although his love for the Florida Gators is not.
In 2012, Trey came on our podcast and shared Holden’s story…you can hear that here.
Just a few weeks ago, Trey wrote a moving and inspirational post about spending Christmas in the hospital.
This morning, after hearing the news, we still recorded a pre-scheduled Life of Dad Show podcast, with special guest, Channing Frye from the Phoenix Suns. Channing is a CHD survivor. This show is dedicated to Holden a.k.a. Tin Man Flynn.
And now I’m crying again because Trey and Nicole lost their incredible son. God Bless Holden. God Bless the Flynn family. Please, let us know what we can do for you at any point.
Love,
The Riles Family and everybody at Life of Dad.