Sarah Herron Reflects on 'Only Call I'll Ever Get' to Pick Up Late Son as She Receives His Ashes
Sarah Herron/Instagram
Sarah Herron shared her thoughts on a poignant moment in her grieving process.
The Bachelor alum, 36, shared an emotional Instagram Reel on Monday of her journey to pick up the ashes of her son Oliver Brown, who died shortly after she gave birth at 24 weeks pregnant.
The Reel shows Herron in the car with the couple's dog, Rio, in the back seat as she drove to pick up her baby's remains. On the Reel, she wrote, "Today I received the only call I'll ever get to come pick up my son. Not from a playdate or from school."
She can be seen parking the car and wiping tears from her eyes as she turns to pet Rio. "So I did what only moms can do... I showed up for him."
The video then shows her holding the small box with Oliver's ashes, allowing Rio to sniff them. "With so much honor to be the only one who could answer this call. Let's go home, Ollie ❤️."
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Herron elaborated on the emotional experience in a lengthy caption.
"'Hi, Sarah? We have Oliver, and he's ready to be picked up.' The most surreal moment of my life was picking up our son's cremation remains. No parent should have to answer this call. It caught me out of left field while running some errands," she wrote.
"I wasn't expecting it for at least another couple of weeks. I imagined Dylan and I would go together. I imagined I'd have time to grieve a little longer—honestly, I was dreading this day. But there I was, already driving southbound, headed in his direction (as if he knew), and I replied to the woman on the phone, 'I'm on my way.'"
Herron says she was filled with "crystal clear" purpose, adding, "I had a job; to go pick up our son. To be his mom."
"It was the only time in my life I'll ever get that call for Oliver. While part of me slipped into disassociation, a bigger part of me felt great pride and honor to be the only one who could answer this call. Surreal, lucid, purpose—put me in, coach," she continued.
Sarah Herron/instagram
"Suddenly, the call that I was dreading became one I'd answer again and again and again."
Herron went on to say that she and fiancé Dylan Brown have been "brainstorming where we'll spread Oliver's ashes."
"Maybe down the river where Dylan proposed, or on top of the mountain where we met, or maybe back in Maui with the sea turtles. But for now, Oliver is back at home with us, and just having him close to me brings more comfort than I was expecting," she shared.
"I ordered an urn on Etsy, decorated with sea turtles ❤️, and until he lets us know where he wants to spend the rest of eternity, he'll be safe with us at home."
