A Tragic Blessing
The Story of the Ramsey Keller Foundation
Billings
Written by Cyd Hoefle
Photography contributed by Kori Keller
Ten years ago, Kori Keller would have never imagined the impact the loss of her baby daughter would have on the world.
Expecting their fourth child, Kori and her husband, Jeff, had no reason to believe anything would be wrong with the baby they were expecting, but Ramsey arrived early with a condition called hydrops fetalis, in which an abnormal amount of fluid had built up around her chest.
It’s heart wrenching that we have a foundation that pays for infant funerals. We wish there wasn’t a need, but it happens.
- Kori Keller
Immediately upon her birth, a procedure was performed to drain some of the fluid so her lungs could compress and begin working appropriately. She went to NICU and for several days she seemed to be stable, even progressing. On the third day, though, Kori was summoned to the NICU when Ramsey took a turn for the worse. Ramsey’s family rallied around her, but there was nothing the team of doctors could do - she had suffered cardiac arrest and passed away in the arms of her mother and surrounded by her family. Instead of bringing a baby home, Kori’s arms were empty, and her heart broken.
“There is nothing worse than leaving the hospital without your baby,” Kori said, her eyes filling with tears. “It was the single hardest moment in my life.”
Back at home, the boys, who were 12, 9, and 7 at the time, needed their parents and the entire family was mourning the loss of Ramsey.
“I had no choice but to keep going,” Kori said, reflecting those days. “Ramsey was born on the 25th and instead of bringing her home and celebrating her life, suddenly four days later, we were making arrangements for her funeral. I couldn’t even begin to make decisions about what we wanted for her.”
Kori’s father stepped in, not only making the needed decisions but paying for the expenses as well.
“It was an incredibly generous thing for him to do,” Kori said. “Emotionally, we couldn’t even think clearly.”
During the months after Ramsey’s death Kori and Jeff talked about starting a memorial for her.
“God has really provided for us. He has supernaturally carried us emotionally, spiritually, and physically and has kept us relevant to help hurting families.”
“We wanted to honor her memory,” she explained. “Sometimes you’re told as the parent of a child that’s been lost that having another baby will ease the pain, but no one can replace the baby you’ve lost. When you plan to be a parent, the yearning to be one doesn’t go away when the baby dies.”
To honor their baby girl’s memory, Kori and Jeff decided to pay for funerals for other families who have lost babies.
“It made such sense to us,” Kori said. “And that’s how the Ramsey Keller Memorial (RKF) was founded.”
Only six months after Ramsey’s death, the Kellers paid for an infant’s funeral. The surprised, but very relieved, parents of the child have since become good friends of the Kellers and are now a part of RKF.
“There’s so much paperwork alone that goes into deciding what to do for your infant,” Kori said. “Casket, cremation, plot, it’s just too hard for grieving families to have to deal with it. We take care of it all. We don’t care what the financial situation looks like for a family, we just do it all for them.”
In the past ten years, the Ramsey Keller Memorial has covered hundreds of infant funerals for families across the state. Currently, Montana is home to the only foundation offering this service.
In the past ten years, the Ramsey Keller Memorial has covered hundreds of infant funerals for families across the state.
The foundation is funded solely by donations, a marathon held in May, and a fundraising concert in September.
“It’s heart wrenching that we have a foundation that pays for infant funerals,” Kori acknowledged. “We wish there wasn’t a need, but it happens.”
The foundation is funded solely by donations, a marathon held in May, and a fundraising concert in September.
“God has really provided for us,” Kori said. “He has supernaturally carried us emotionally, spiritually, and physically and has kept us relevant to help hurting families.”
For more information on the Ramsey Keller Foundation, visit ramseykellerfoundation.com or follow them on Facebook.