I am a bereaved mother who can offer hope and encouragement to others.

I recently wrote a memoir about our grief story called 'Rescuing Hope'. Our story began when our oldest daughter, Kayla, was eight years old and was diagnosed with epilepsy. The next 15 years proved challenging with lots of medications and other treatments to control her seizures. Because of our faith in the Lord, we had to let her go and live her life. She went on mission trips, graduated college, and began a career as a journalist in Ellensburg, WA. One year into her career, he life ended. Because of her blog and my journals throughout the years, I was able to pen a memoir in her honor. I hope to encourage other bereaved parents or parents living with a sick child, especially a sickness no one can see. We are parents to 7 other living children and desire to spread hope. Personally, I am a mom to 6 boys and two girls, one living and one in heaven (Kayla). I love to run. I have run multiple half marathons and two full marathons, one with my daughter. I homeschool my kids and this is my 23rd year teaching them. I love studying the Bible and hold studies in my home. I am now a grandma (as of May 19, 2023) and no one could have prepared me for this bliss! I am a registered dietitian by trade and graduated from VA Teach in 1992. I worked in Dallas at two hospitals and homecare until we moved to Washington. Because of raising children, I took many years off. I recently worked at Seattle Children's Hospital until 2021. I still love learning about nutrition and planning/cooking healthy meals for my large family. My goal is to share my story and encourage other parents, as well as to promote my book, 'Rescuing Hope' by Sonya Bonar, which is available on Amazon.