Katrina McSherry

In July 2023, Katrina and Mike McSherry were preparing for the birth of their first child. Though a C-section was scheduled just days away, Katrina went into labor at 38 weeks on July 13th. Tragically, what should have been a night of joy turned into a nightmare when doctors could no longer find a heartbeat. On July 15th, after 25 hours of labor, their son Callum Michael was born into heaven, weighing 7 pounds and 8 ounces. 

In the midst of their tragic loss, Mike and Katrina were grateful they got to spend a full day holding Callum, an experience they recall as “transformative.” They shared that “loving on Callum that day was so heartbreaking, and yet so incredibly beautiful at the same time.” Layered onto the terrible beauty of that moment, the heavy reality of loss remained. Instead of their baby, Mike and Katrina left that hospital that evening with a teddy bear to face the brutal transition from dreams of parenthood to a life without their son. 

The following months were a journey of resilience. After a subsequent miscarriage, the couple learned they were pregnant again on Callum’s first birthday, and then welcomed their second son, Owen Gabriel, on February 25, 2025. While the McSherrys carry Callum’s memory with them daily, Owen brings them immense joy, and they are learning how both grief and joy can coexist. 

On their grief-stricken family building journey, March of Dimes became a vital source of community for the family. Mike turned his pain into purpose by joining the 2024 March of Dimes Chicago Marathon team, running in Callum’s honor to support stillbirth prevention. Now, as the 2026 Chicago March for Babies Ambassador Family, Katrina and Mike are sharing the story of Callum’s life to give a voice to underrepresented loss families and show that, while challenging, the healing journey is possible.