M.E.N.D. Palm Beach Leadership Team
Jessica gaddie - CHAPTER DIRECTOR
Jessica Gaddie
Palm Beach Chapter Director
Jessica Gaddie - Chapter Director
After 11 years of battling severe PCOS and starting the adoptions of our two boys, we were beyond surprised when the pregnancy test finally read positive. Soon after that, during my first OB visit, I held our precious baby in the palm of my hand as I cried in anguish over my miscarriage. In an instant our hope of ever having a baby was shattered.
Over the next 9 years we loved and raised our boys, celebrated our 40th birthdays along with our 20th anniversary, and prepared for our empty nest that was just one short year away. That’s when we found out I was pregnant again. To say we were surprised and overjoyed would be a huge understatement. We listened to his heartbeat every night, saw him dancing for us at our ultrasounds once a week, and rejoiced at every milestone we reached. In that time, that tiny baby boy brought hope to many infertile couples we encountered along the way.
At nearly 6 months, I was rushed to the hospital and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy we named Wilson Glenn, who was born still. In that moment, the overwhelming joy we once felt instantly turned into overwhelming despair. We couldn’t find solace, comfort or peace. We felt lost and alone. We needed help but our county lacked the support we desperately needed. M.E.N.D. became our lifeline after I stumbled across their Ornament Exchange on social media, so we decided to continue Wilson’s legacy of hope by bringing M.E.N.D. to Palm Beach County for the countless families currently grieving alone.
M.E.N.D. is a registered 501(c)(3) and was founded in Irving, TX in 1996. Please take a moment to meet our Board of Directors and national leadership team.
Chapter Assistants
Christine Mori
Meet Christine...
The depth of a mother's love is endless. It was November 7, 2016, when we lost our first born son, Mauricio, at five months of pregnancy that I truly understood this. After a difficult start to the year of 2016, my husband and I were ready to start a little family of our own. We were full of joy when I became pregnant July 17, 2016 with our first, but what started as a smooth pregnancy suddenly took a turn for the worst 5 months in, when one morning I had gone into premature labor. After being rushed to the hospital and attempts to halt labor, it was too late, I was forced to deliver our baby at 19 weeks of pregnancy. Our perfect little angel was born, but passed away during birth. What started out with hope for the future and excitement came to an abrupt tragic ending. Suddenly, we were thrust into a whirlwind of new emotions and a different path just 2 years into our marriage. We found little to no support from our community and after searching for 2 years, I came across M.E.N.D and found they just opened a chapter in our county of Palm Beach, FL! M.E.N.D. is a Godsend and has become a valuable resource in connecting with other families to address the overwhelming emotions and experiences that occur on this grief journey. From the first meeting, the Lord presented opportunities and placed a passion in my heart to ensure that every hurting family is receiving this same support. It is an honor and privilige to serve as an assistant in the M.E.N.D. Palm Beach Chapter and it is my hope that you find the comfort and hope you and your family needs as we walk through this journey of grief together.
Russ Gaddie
Meet Russ...
My wife and I had a miscarriage at 6 1/2 weeks on October 24, 2008 and the Stillbirth of our son Wilson Glenn on August 17, 2017. After the loss of our son, a stranger reached out to me to share his story of loss with me. Jessica and I were blessed to find M.E.N.D. and to be allowed to become a part of it by opening the Palm Beach Chapter on October 11, 2018. I have been given a heart to help the men of M.E.N.D. with their grief process after seeing first hand the difference it made in my own life between our two losses. As it says in Prov 27:17 in the Amplified version “As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion].” So i look forward to serving you as a part of M.E.N.D.
