A sister just stepped up to become “momma” to a sweet 9-year-old boy with special needs after his own mother was killed in a devastating motorcycle crash.
But Danniela Brown is doing it with a broken heart, because the mother Aden lost was her baby sister.
Christine McCord was just 33 years old.
She was Aden’s mom, and for a little boy who is nonverbal and has special needs, she was also the person who understood all the things he may not be able to explain with words.
His routines. His needs. His comfort.

The little signals only someone who loves and cares for a child every day learns to understand.
Now Christine is gone, and her sister is stepping forward to help make sure Aden still has someone beside him for all the days that come next.
Think about the love that requires.
Danniela is waking up every morning wanting her own sister back.
“Every day I wake up and still can’t believe this is my life,” she shared. “I cry every single day because the pain of missing you is so heavy.”
Yet in the middle of that grief, there is a 9-year-old boy who needs her.
So Auntie is stepping up.

Not because anyone could ever replace his mother.
But because Danniela can continue some of the love her sister poured into him.
Christine died following an August 6th motorcycle crash that Danniela says remains under investigation.
Her family has been told that multiple vehicles were involved and that one alleged hit-and-run driver has been arrested, but they are still waiting for the official report and answers about exactly what happened.
For Aden, though, the biggest consequence is painfully simple.
Mom isn’t coming home.
Christine’s family will celebrate her life September 5th in Long Beach, California, while beginning the much longer journey of helping her little boy live without her.
And I hope we can surround them with some love.

Pray for Aden, especially on the days when he misses his mom in ways he may not be able to express.
Pray for Danniela when she has to put her own tears aside because her nephew needs her.
And pray that when the responsibility feels enormous, she remembers what an incredible act of love it is to look at your sister’s child after losing her and essentially say:
I’ve got you.
Auntie will never replace Momma.
But she can spend the rest of her life making sure her sister’s little boy knows just how fiercely his momma loved him.