Ethel Kennedy faced unimaginable heartbreak throughout her life. Among the many tragedies she endured was the sudden loss of two of her sons. Take a closer look at the heartbreaking deaths of David and Michael Kennedy.
Ethel Kennedy, the wife of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was a prominent figure in American history, known for her unwavering commitment to social justice and her strength in the face of family tragedies.
Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy boarding a plane for San Juan, Puerto Rico, in March 1966. | Source: Getty Images
Born into a political dynasty, she married into one of the most iconic American families. She and Robert raised 11 children, navigating both the highs of public service and the lows of personal loss.
Despite her remarkable resilience, Ethel was no stranger to heartache, having tragically lost two of her sons — David and Michael Kennedy — in sudden and devastating circumstances.
Ethel Kennedy at the Restore Ball in New York City on September 28, 1970. | Source: Getty Images
David, the fourth of Ethel’s children, led a life deeply affected by trauma. At just 13 years old, he witnessed the assassination of his father on live television, an event that haunted him for the rest of his life.
Despite his promising beginnings, the emotional toll of his father’s death led David down a path of addiction. On April 25, 1984, he was found dead in his hotel room in Palm Beach, Florida, at 28.
David and Chris Kennedy watching a tennis match with their cousin, Ted Kennedy Jr., on August 25, 1974. | Source: Getty Images
He had struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for many years, and while his cause of death wasn’t immediately clear, investigators eventually ruled out suicide.
There were ”no signs of foul play,” said Sergeant Henry L. Marchman, spokesman for the Police Department of Palm Beach. The results of a preliminary autopsy tonight were being studied, as officials suspected it was an accidental overdose.
David Kennedy at the Democratic National Convention on July 15, 1976, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
David, who resided in Boston, traveled to Palm Beach to visit his grandmother, Rose Kennedy, who was in poor health. His body was discovered by a hotel secretary, Elizabeth Barnett, around 11:30 a.m. after a family member called to check if he had left for his flight.
When there was no response from his room phone, the hotel staff were instructed to investigate, according to hotel spokesman Gerald H. Beebe Jr.
David Kennedy in New York in 1984. | Source: Getty Images
The spokesman noted that hotel staff had seen David the previous Tuesday, describing him as being in good spirits. A desk clerk even recalled him waving as he passed the front desk.
David’s uncle, Senator Edward Kennedy, reflected on his nephew’s troubled life, stating, “We all pray that David has finally found the peace that he did not find in life.” The Kennedy family were no strangers to tragedy and mourned deeply, but the heartbreak did not end there.
Members of the Kennedy family escorted by Ethel Kennedy carrying the casket of David Kennedy from the hearse to the Kennedy House on May 4, 1984. | Source: Getty Images
Thirteen years later, in 1997, another devastating blow struck Ethel when her son Michael died in a skiing accident. Known for his adventurous spirit, Michael was skiing in Aspen, Colorado, when he collided with a tree, resulting in his immediate death at 39.
Michael Kennedy and Vicky Gifford at Attorney Roy Cohn’s birthday party in New York City on February 22, 1981. | Source: Getty Images
Michael had faced controversy in the years leading up to his death due to an alleged affair with the family’s babysitter. The scandal even affected his brother Joseph P. Kennedy II’s political aspirations.
Parents say goodbye to their newborn as life support is switched off, then he starts breathing immediately
Most moms will agree pregnancy and labor can be a scary time and all you want is to deliver a healthy baby, kicking and screaming.
But one mom was faced with the unthinkable when her baby boy was born with medical issues that left him on a ventilator.
Lisa Hough shared an image of her sweet baby grandson born to her daughter Chelsea and also shared the unthinkable tough decision that her daughter had been faced with.
The mom of three and nana of two said her grandson Karson had been born with many medical complications.
“The only way to describe what has happened is that this beautiful baby boy has suffered two very rare traumatic conditions that are completely unrelated to one another,” Nana Lisa shared on her Facebook page.
She added her newborn baby grandson had suffered a “hemorrhage in the left temporal lobe” and had also been diagnosed with a rare, genetic, metabolic disorder called Non-ketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH).
“His case is presented as severe and would cause him to be severely neurologically impaired – functioning at a 2-3 month old level at best for his lifetime,” Lisa wrote.
His mom, given all the information from the medical staff around her, made the incredibly tough decision to take him off life support.
Lisa wrote of the heartbreaking moment they had to say goodbye to their sweet little one.
“While we weren’t ready to say goodbye to Karson, we had come to terms with the inevitable. We were given 10 minutes after withdrawing intensive care and the ventilator and told he would not breath on his own and to expect his heart to stop within those 10 minutes.
But, according to Lisa, it seemed “God had other plans” and said she and her daughter witnessed a miracle.
“He immediately started breathing on his own once the ventilator was removed, heart rate and oxygen stabilized, and here we are 5 hours later with this miracle baby that we were told would never breath, swallow, have gag reflexes, or even survive. He is breathing unassisted.
“He is swallowing. He is surviving. He even has slightly opened his eyes a couple times today.”
She said his doctors had no explanation for what happened saying no medical or science data supports this little fighter surviving; the only explanation they have is that it’s a miracle.
“I’m not sure why I ever thought we were so underserving of a miracle…and I’m not sure how long we have with him, but we have him now. And now we will take,” Lisa wrote.
Finally, on March 1, she and her family were given the joyous news that their tiny bundle of joy would be coming home that week.
“Every day, I am brought to my knees, and just when I think God is done, I am quickly reminded that he isn’t….I have no words for my gratitude and I will praise Him for as long as I have air in my lungs for giving Karson his,” Lisa wrote.
From her very first post, commenters were fully supportive of the journey, celebrating the survival of Karson with more than 30,000 reactions to the post announcing the wonderful news that Karson survived and is thriving
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