Cassie Fjosne, President & Trevor Fjosne, Vice President/Treasurer  

Their Story

Cassie and Trevor had been married four years, experienced a loss prior to their son, Uriah, and then found out Cassie was pregnant with their daughter, Willa. The excitement and joy they shared for the pregnancy turned into a horrific journey when a routine lab test for hCG came back at an alarming level. Repeat hCG tests and ultrasounds were conducted, as each day passed, Cassie's hCG level increased to astronomically high numbers.  It was determined by their OB that she was having a Partial Molar Pregnancy, and that Cassie needed immediate intervention.  At their appointment, the OB said, "go home, pack a bag, start driving, and one three top rated locations will contact for immediate admission." 

Willa was loved, desired, and prayed for; she had a heartbeat, and they had to make an impossible decision to terminate their pregnancy due to the threat on Cassie's life.  Three weeks after the D&C, Cassie learned she had new growth of this now cancerous tissue, and that it had metastasized to her lungs.  Cassie and Trevor agreed for her to undergo a total hysterectomy. With the rate at which these tumors grow, the risks of regrowth, and the fear for future babies, it was the only decision that felt safe.

At this time Cassie has not been cleared as "cancer free" and she continues monthly labs and ct scans to follow the mets on her lungs.

Why they founded Weeping Willa

Cassie and Trevor's need for grief support fired their passion about providing more opportunities for local connection and support. Since Willa's passing, Cassie and Trevor have been learning how to live with carrying the grief they will always have for their daughter. They desire to build a beautiful legacy for Willa as they help others in their grief journey in her name.

Erin & Lance Nordstrom, Board Members

Their Story

Lance and Erin’s youngest child, Drew (age 7) died in an ATV accident on their property May 21, 2021.  Their daughter Reese was in the accident as well as her friend Ava.  Reese and Ava survived with little to no injury and Drew did not survive. Erin was home at the time and that was it.  Lance was on his way home, Peyton and Paige were both at friends houses.  They experienced that “life can change in a second”.  They are fortunate to have a strong foundation of love and family first, this has been a blessing and a curse in their tragic loss of Drew.  He was the last piece of their puzzle, their family felt complete and for seven years they were living their best lives. Every day the surviving five live with a hole in their hearts, he is so present in their lives and they truly believe he shows signs he is so very close.  

Why Weeping Willa

When we were approached by Cassie and Trevor we weren’t sure how we could contribute to THEIR cause.  With everything since Drew’s death, we needed time to process.  We had the pull or urge to do something to honor Drew but we knew it would come to us and we just had to be patient.  We have started the movement of #LoveBIGlikeDrew and honor him in his four biggests traits, he was our 4th child, he was number 4 in hockey (given to him by his coach because that was HIS number), Erin called him number 4…to sum them up they are; Try Things, he was never afraid to try anything, scared a momma heart but he was in his element trying new things. Be a True Friend, no lies, no drama, just fun, care about people and mean it.  Remember Things, he remembered when he met you or that your favorite food is spaghetti and he would tell you that or bring you your favorite color skittles if he knew it, remembering the little things really are the big things.  Never hold back, he LOVED big, he played HARD, he gave everything his all, what an amazing example for seven beautiful years and his legacy will continue as we tell his story and live our lives like he lived his. But this is not our only calling, Cassie and Trevor have this amazing vision to help as many people who experience child loss at all stages.  We are the (however you look at it) lucky/unlucky perspective of having Drew with us for seven years and losing him in a traumatic accident.  Together this group of parents and advocates can reach and help a multitude of families, this is what we were waiting for, it came to us and we honestly think the possibilities are endless.  We are humbled and honored to be part of this organization and with these amazing board members we will be able to help so many different types of families and give that understanding of different types of child loss.  It is a horrible club that no one wants to be in and NO ONE wants to be able to understand what it's like.  We feel better when people don’t know what to do or say because the only way you do is by having it happen to you.  We are able to bring resources, understanding, empathy, love and experience to this organization.  We are so excited to see the impact that this will have on the world.  We know first hand how impactful short lives can be and we want to help families and communities experiencing child loss in any way we can and a lot of times you don’t even know what you might need.  We are able to meet you where you are and as hard as it is MOVE FORWARD.

Cailee Stenson, Board Member

Her Story

Without prior knowledge of her pregnancy, Cailee suffered a traumatic miscarriage in October 2020. Cailee was around 21-22 weeks pregnant at the time. This led to a home delivery, resulting in the birth of her sweet daughter, whom she named Gabriella. 

Why she joined Weeping Willa

I want to increase awareness surrounding child loss and encourage open conversation, validating all forms of loss. Although individual experiences differ, knowing that support is available from others who understand is crucial, and I'm honored to contribute to Weeping Willa's efforts. 

Jody Barry, Board Member