I've lost a son, granddaughter, and great-grandson. The grief never goes away."
What a terrible tragedy for you.
The child in the hospital is doing better. They have high hopes that she will be able to see and they did skin grafts yesterday, but I'm not sure where.
Here's an update from the paper:
The Post-Standard
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1080467707198590.xml Triplets' mother recalls 'angels'
Family shares memories at Saturday service for the 4-year-olds who died in fire.
March 28, 2004
By Nancy Buczek
Staff writer
Paige Christine Hendershot was a princess who wanted to marry her daddy when she grew up.
Alex Michael pretended to be a Power Ranger and wanted to ride a four-wheeler someday.
Allen Michael flirted with all their baby sitters.
Those were some of the memories family members shared at the First Baptist Church in Weedsport on Saturday morning. About 100 people were at the funeral for the 4-year-old triplets who died in a fire Wednesday at their Elbridge home in Rolling Hills Mobile Home Park.
"Paige Christine, Alex Michael and Allen Michael Hendershot all came into this world together on June 2, 1999. Paige Christine, Alex Michael and Allen Michael Hendershot all left this world together on March 24, 2004," said Doug Wallace, who presided over the service.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight in the bathroom. A neighbor pulled the triplets' sister, Tamarah Christine Houghton, 8, from a window. The oldest sibling, Lori Christine Carson, 15, was baby-sitting and ran to a neighbor's for help. The children's mother, Teri Carson, 37, was not home at the time of the blaze. The triplets' father, Michael Hendershot, lives in Weedsport.
A cause for the fire has not yet been determined, said Jim English, Elbridge Fire Department chief.
Tamarah Houghton's father, who did not give his name, said after the funeral that his daughter was undergoing surgery during the church service and was doing better. Houghton was in critical condition Saturday evening at University Hospital, according to a nursing supervisor.
Teri Carson entered the small chapel through a door behind the altar. She walked slowly to take a seat in the front pew, a few feet away from the single shiny gray casket that held the remains of her three children.
Carson was guided by the triplets' father on one side and a friend on the other. Each of the men gripped one of her arms. Her blond hair was pulled back in a braid and her hands, held close to her chest, shook.
During the service, Carson stood, again supported by Hendershot and her friend, and slowly turned to face her grieving friends and family members. She talked through tears about her "three little angels."
"God will use them in many ways," Carson said. "Right now, they are going to help Tamarah get better."
She said the triplets will also give her strength, as they had in the past. "They were perfect little angels, even though I only had them for a very short time."
Wallace read a letter from Lori, the eldest sibling, that described specific memories of the triplets, such as the way they would come into her room when they were scared, that Alex wanted to be a rock star and that Paige was a princess.
"Paige would always say, 'Me small princess. Tamarah medium princess. Lori big princess,' " Wallace read.
Throughout the service, Lori sat in the front pew, wearing a tiara.
A collage of about 40 pictures stood on an easel at the front of the chapel, to the left of the casket. Most of the pictures showed the triplets together- the two boys, often dressed alike, flanking their sister.
On the casket, three stuffed lambs sat side by side to the left of a floral arrangement. Three stuffed rabbits, a white one between two brown ones, sat to the right of the flowers.
Behind the casket, on a communion table, three floral arrangements were set up, the two end arrangements had a mix of blue and red flowers and a candle in the center. The middle arrangement was a mix of pink flowers. An angel was at the base of each arrangement.
"You are in heaven now. I know that you are three happy babies. You are safe now," Wallace read from Lori's letter.
That was tough to read. Got me to tearing up again.
I just had a tumor removed from my left ear a couple of weeks ago. At first, everything was pretty numb; because several nerves had to be cut. As they are healing, the numbness is going away - but now I can feel some mild discomfort (pain). Somebody told me that's what happens with burn victims. The nerves are damaged, so the pain is not as intense in the beginning. I PRAY TO GOD that he helps that child in the coming months. She's got a long, painful time ahead of her.
If you do updates on the family, please include me in your pings. They weigh heavily on my heart.