The holidays can be a rough time of year, especially for those who are missing a loved one.
The same is true for Kait Brazel and her two sons, who lost their Dad to stage four rectal cancer last year.
So when Kait was packing up her sons to make the trip from Colorado Spring, CO to rural Virginia for their annual Thanksgiving vacation, she knew that she had to add a new destination along the way.
Army Staff Sgt. Alfred “Fred” Brazel is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery in Boston, MA with his other fallen comrades.
He was only 37 years old when he was diagnosed with the cancer that would take his life just 5 short months later.
His sons, Mylan who’s five, and Mason who is 8, had never gotten the chance to visit their Dad’s burial site until now.
Kait wanted to make sure they had the chance to wish their Dad a Happy Thanksgiving.
You can imagine how difficult the journey must have been for Kait.
To have the love of someone so dear be ripped away in such a short span of time, you wonder how a person can carry on themselves, let alone be brave for two young boys.
That amazing resolve and inner-strength in her, I’m sure, is one of the things that drew her soldiering husband to her side. It takes an amazing and caring woman to run an army household.
She drew from that same strength to take her sons where they needed to go the most; to see their Dad.
When Kait and Alfred first learned of the battle they were facing, they reacted a lot differently than most people.
They included their sons in everything, including doctor appointments and making sure that any questions they had were answered. Their sons knew what was ahead.
While many would try to keep their families in the dark, to not overshadow the time they have left together, that just didn’t seem right to the brave couple.
So when the boys got to see their Dad at the cemetery, instead of being a sad and emotionally exhaustive affair, they were actually happy.
They got to spend time filling their Dad in on their daily life, from Halloween costumes to what they were learning in school.
Then Kait’s youngest son, Mylan, said something that absolutely floored her. She tells abcNEWS,
“Mylan said he felt like he could feel his daddy, and he wanted to take a nap with him.”
How comforting to know that her son remembers so strongly the presence of his Dad!
This powerful connection to his Dad wasn’t the only thing that shocked Kait.
After the boys were done recounting their highlight reel of the last year to their Dad, the family was making its way back to the truck to continue on their road trip.
Mylan though had to do just one more thing before they left.
“He said, ‘Wait, I have to go back and give Daddy a hug'”
This potent last display of affection from her son to his Dad gave Kait a level of comfort that only a gesture like this could bring. She said,
“I’m positive that they’re going to remember him forever”
What a blessing this visit was for them.
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A heartfelt thank you to Kait, and all of the people who continue to serve their families by upholding them in the wake of losing a loved one.
May your strength, courage, and love continue to heal and uplift the brokenhearted.
