When Ashlee Hammac laid her precious baby boy, Ryan, to rest just five days after his birth, her heart shattered into a million pieces. The pain of losing her son was unbearable, an ache so deep it seemed impossible to imagine life without him. Ryan was born with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), a severe condition caused by a lack of oxygen to his brain during birth, and despite the doctors’ best efforts, he passed away before he could even begin his life. For Ashlee, the grief was all-consuming. Her dreams of watching her two boys grow up together, playing, laughing, and sharing their lives, had vanished in the blink of an eye.
Ryan’s tiny grave could have been nothing but a symbol of loss and sorrow, a place for endless tears and memories of what might have been. And yet, in the midst of her heartbreak, Ashlee made a choice that would change the narrative of grief for her family. Instead of simply mourning the loss of her son, she decided to create a place that would allow her surviving son, Tucker, to feel connected to the brother he never had the chance to grow up with.
Next to Ryan’s headstone, Ashlee placed a small sandbox. This wasn’t just any sandbox; it was a place of connection, of remembrance, and of love. Tucker, who was still a young child himself, could now visit his brother’s grave and find a place to play. He could park his toy trucks in the sand, dig, and chatter away, talking and singing to Ryan—the sibling he never had the chance to meet, but whose presence would forever remain in his heart.
In that small, sacred space, laughter and play began to rise up from the ground of loss. The sandbox became a space of connection, where two brothers, separated by life and death, could still share moments of joy and love. Tucker’s innocent chatter filled the air, as he talked to his brother and told him about his day, the toys he was playing with, and the games he was imagining. Ashlee could watch from a distance, her heart heavy but also filled with a sense of peace. In the quiet moments, she would hear Tucker’s voice, and it reminded her that Ryan’s life, though brief, had meaning—a purpose that extended far beyond the pain of his passing.
It wasn’t just Ashlee and her family who were touched by this beautiful act of remembrance. The photo of Tucker playing beside Ryan’s grave, his tiny trucks parked in the sand next to his brother’s headstone, quickly went viral. It was shared over 220,000 times, resonating deeply with people who understood the depth of grief, yet also saw the glimmer of hope that Ashlee had created. What could have been a place of only sorrow had become a space of connection, a place where love transcended even the boundaries of life and death. People were moved by Ashlee’s strength, her ability to transform her pain into something healing and beautiful. The photo captured the essence of what it means to remember, to grieve, and yet still find ways to keep moving forward, to honor the lives of those we’ve lost.
From this deeply personal pain, Ashlee found a way to give back—to help other families who were going through similar heartaches. She created the Pages to Memories Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting families with babies in intensive care, providing them with books, resources, and emotional support. She knew from her own experience how isolating and overwhelming it could feel to have a child in the hospital, to face the uncertainty of life and death, and the fear that the moments you shared with your baby might be all too brief. Ashlee wanted to ensure that no parent had to go through that journey alone.
The foundation quickly grew, as Ashlee’s story touched the lives of families far and wide. Through her initiative, parents who were living through the uncertainty of having a critically ill child could find comfort, solace, and a sense of community. The books she distributed weren’t just stories—they were symbols of hope, reminders that even in the most difficult times, there was support, there was love, and there was a way to create memories even in the midst of crisis.
Ryan’s life, though it lasted only five days, had an impact far greater than anyone could have imagined. His story became a story of love, resilience, and the strength to keep going even when faced with overwhelming loss. Through his brief life, Ryan inspired an entire community. His legacy, carried on by his mother’s unwavering strength and commitment to helping others, continues to touch lives every day.
Ashlee’s choice to create the sandbox next to Ryan’s grave was an act of healing, a powerful reminder that grief doesn’t have to be something that keeps us locked in sorrow forever. Instead, it can be transformed into something beautiful, something that honors the ones we’ve lost while giving us the space to keep living, keep loving, and keep sharing the memories of those we hold dear.
Ryan’s memory will live on—not just in the small acts of remembrance like the sandbox, but in the foundation Ashlee built in his honor, in the hearts of the families she has helped, and in the quiet moments of peace that she finds when she watches her two sons, Tucker and Ryan, connected through the love that transcends even the boundaries of life and death.
What began as a story of heartbreak has blossomed into a story of love, hope, and strength. Ryan may not have had the chance to grow up and play with his brother, but through the love of his family, his memory will never fade. His story reminds us that even the briefest lives can leave the deepest imprints on our hearts, shaping the love we give, inspiring compassion, and proving that remembrance, when nurtured with love, can bloom into hope.
