The IncRETTibles – a Column by Jacqueline Babiarz

A pink homecoming dress keeps sisters connected

Grief is complicated. There’s no playbook, but I wish there were. I try to prepare myself for events that I know will evoke grief, but I can’t stop it from bubbling up. My oldest daughter, Cammy, passed away in December 2023 at the age of 14 from complications of…

Crisis prevention training reminded me of my late daughter

Last week, I attended a Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training session at the school where I work, and I couldn’t stop thinking about my late daughter, Cammy. Listening to examples of students’ trauma and precipitating factors that staff and fellow classmates might not be aware of reminded me of my…

Preparing our youngest for high school is not what we’d hoped

I’m the youngest of six children: four girls, a boy, then another girl. (That last would be me.) I was always jealous that my sisters were able to be together while attending the same high school and college. Hearing their memories of carpooling, hanging out, being teammates, and preparing…

How strange to be having free time after years without it

In 2015, when a girl with Rett syndrome passed away, we for the first time experienced the death of someone we knew who’d had the disease. Our hearts ached for her family. I couldn’t help thinking we’d also be in that situation in the not-so-distant future. Months later, the…