Tami Schlappi is one of the selections that Diana of Diana Putnam Photography and I chose for The LifeBeats Project Story Search because of her courage and strength in the face of so many hard things. In today’s interview Tami shares her story of, within one year, losing both her two year old son and husband, and then giving birth to her daughter the day after her husband’s funeral. She takes us back to her family life growing up and the foundation that was laid of family, working hard, and faith. She shares the story of meeting her husband Rich and the beautiful life they shared together and with their children, the second of which was born with a heart defect. During times of difficulty with her son, she shares how they discovered that her husband had an inoperable brain tumor. Tami shares her journey of faith and trust in God as times increasingly became more difficult with the passing of her son and then the passing of her husband. Tami recounts the precious last moments with her husband and then the delivery of their baby girl the day following his funeral. Despite these trials Tami never doubted or cursed God but has only trusted in Him and has seen blessings of love and growth come to her and her children, including finding love again in her husband Mike Schlappi, an Olympic gold medalist paraplegic who has a story of his own. You will be inspired by Tami’s courageous story of faith and a capacity to love that grows and grows.
Want to know if this episode it for you? This episode is perfect for someone who has lost someone close to them and is looking for inspiration on how to keep going. It is perfect for someone going through a difficult time and would like to feel like they are not alone and for someone seeking to understand faith and trusting in God. It is also inspiring for someone who has lost their first spouse and wondering how they can love again.
What is this episode about? In this episode you will learn about:
- her upbringing that taught her about family, working hard, and faith
- why she left a full ride scholarship to go to another school
- the role of her faith in her decisions
- what she loved about her husband Rich when they first met
- their life together as a young couple with young children
- discovering the heart defect of her second son during pregnancy
- a turning point in her life and what she promised God
- how they discovered that her husband Rich had an inoperable brain tumor and what they did to try to treat it
- the circumstances surrounding little Robbie’s death
- the final moments Tami had with her husband Rich
- giving birth to their daughter Anna exactly 24 hours after her husband’s funeral
- where she received her strength
- why she was not angry at God for not answering her prayer in what she prayed for
- what the the most difficult part of those experiences were
- the most important lesson she has learned in her life
- how she could love again and how she met her second husband Mike
- what her purpose is now
- how we can support one another as women
- why her photoshoot was so difficult
- what she will be focusing on now
Show Notes:
A big thanks to everyone involved with our Story Search!!
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Going through on going trials with my own and trying to care for my daughter at the same time has left me drained. I am thankful my mom has come out to help so I finally have a moment to listen to your podcast. Love ya! Keep up the great work changing lives. My girlfriend just was diagnosed with ms. I told her about your podcasts.
my health and now my daughters
Shelise you always handle things with such a positive outlook! Moms are wonderful. We are so blessed to have amazing ones!! Love ya too! What a life-changing thing for your friend. I hope she draws strength from so many who have shared their stories on the podcast!
Love,
Briana