Henry's House Dedication and the story of Henry Forrest Eggert

The Leelanau Children’s Center invites you to their Northport location for the dedication of Henry’s House. The event takes place this Friday, July 1st from 5:30 – 7:30 PM.

Henry’s House is a beautiful and unique structure built on the LCC- Northport playground by John Kinker. Their pages on Henry’s House tell his story, and talk about the importance of resilience for children and for us all.

It is a memorial to a young fellow named Henry Forrest Eggert. Henry’s life was short but full of surprise, intensity and teaching. Walk around Henry’s House and discover the unique aspects of the structure: the invitations to contemplate, to come together and to take refuge.

The story of Henry and his family is a powerful story of resilience and acceptance. The literature on healthy families describes resilient parents: “Parents who are emotionally resilient are able to maintain a positive attitude, creatively solve problems, and effectively rise to challenges in their lives.” Henry’s parents, Sarah and John, had the capacity to maintain a positive attitude thoughout Henry’s life, which served as a rudder for the many people who were touched by Henry. As one family member noted: “Sarah set the tone and let us all come to peace with loving Henry for the time we had him rather than focusing on the fact that he would soon not be here.”

Henry was born with Trisome 18, a rare congenital condition that would limit his life to a few short months. John and Sarah learned of Henry’s condition upon his birth, and despite the shock, accepted the difficult news and turned their attention to devoting their time embracing Henry as their youngest child and as a member of their community.

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