Father’s loss, Kennedy’s Hugs provide opportunity to inspire other dads
Jason Hansen stands in the room that belonged to his daughter, Kennedy, in his West Haven home on Thursday, June 16, 2016. Kennedy died two years ago at the age of 16. In her last year of life, thousands of people followed her journey through the Kennedy's HUGS groups. Jason is working to keep the organization and Kennedy's story alive.
A painting of Kennedy Hansen meeting Jesus hangs in her family's West Haven home on Thursday, June 16, 2016. Kennedy and her father, Jason Hansen, posed for the painting before Kennedy passed away in 2014.
Jason Hansen flips through a scrap book about his daughter, Kennedy, in his West Haven home on Thursday, June 16, 2016. Kennedy died two years ago at the age of 16. Tens of thousands of people followed her journey on Facebook. After her death, volunteers made a collection of scrap books for Kennedy's family featuring all of the Facebook stories.
Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter's life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter's life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter's life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, during her Make a Wish trip to Hawaii before she died. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter's life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, during her Make a Wish trip to Hawaii before she died. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter's life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter's life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter's life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
Jason Hansen of Plain City spoke at the Spiritually Healed Conference at Weber State University last month.
Jason Hansen is pictured with his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter's life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
WEST HAVEN — Jason Hansen’s goal wasn’t to show the world he was a great father.
The 41-year-old just wanted to share his daughter’s legacy. Kennedy Hansen, although she died two years ago at 16, remains a celebrity to many who remember her as the girl who bravely lived with Juvenile Batten Disease and shared her love through hugs and intuition.
Her blog, kennedyshugs.com, still has millions of followers, thanks to her dad.
“The whole message there is to help others — share some things that we have been through so they can have hope,” Hansen said.
In the process of writing to explain Kennedy’s miracles as she lived with blindness and other complications, a miracle happened in Hansen’s life too. Fathers were inspired by his words and started turning to him for advice.
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Jason Hansen stands in the room that belonged to his daughter, Kennedy, in his West Haven home on Thursday, June 16, 2016. Kennedy died two years ago at the age of 16. In her last year of life, thousands of people followed her journey through the Kennedy’s HUGS groups. Jason is working to keep the organization and Kennedy’s story alive.
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A painting of Kennedy Hansen meeting Jesus hangs in her family’s West Haven home on Thursday, June 16, 2016. Kennedy and her father, Jason Hansen, posed for the painting before Kennedy passed away in 2014.
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Jason Hansen flips through a scrap book about his daughter, Kennedy, in his West Haven home on Thursday, June 16, 2016. Kennedy died two years ago at the age of 16. Tens of thousands of people followed her journey on Facebook. After her death, volunteers made a collection of scrap books for Kennedy’s family featuring all of the Facebook stories.
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Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter’s life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
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Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter’s life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
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Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter’s life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
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Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, during her Make a Wish trip to Hawaii before she died. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter’s life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
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Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, during her Make a Wish trip to Hawaii before she died. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter’s life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
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Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter’s life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
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Jason Hansen is pictured hugging his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter’s life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
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Jason Hansen of Plain City spoke at the Spiritually Healed Conference at Weber State University last month.
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Jason Hansen is pictured with his daughter, Kennedy, while she was alive. Hansen has taken his message of his daughter’s life to public meetings for two years and has kept her Facebook blog going, telling his story of grief and loss and of the love Kennedy shared. His blog post about their final truck ride together has gained millions of views and much feedback about his ability to share fatherhood.
Hansen’s wife, Heather Hansen, said many dads have reached out to her husband.
“He is able to keep perspective and look for the positive,” she said. “Fathers tell him what he has said is exactly what they needed. They say: ‘I will cherish time with my kids more.'”
Hansen said the social media efforts grew out of a desire to form his trials into a vehicle for inspiration.
“I’ve learned that it’s okay to hug and cry,” Hansen said. “We try to be tough as guys. It’s really softened me to have a more tender heart.”
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Juvenile Batten Disease is a disorder that progressively affects the nervous system, causing vision loss, intellectual and motor disability, speech difficulties and seizures. Kennedy was not officially diagnosed until June 5, 2013, just less than a year before she died.
One of Hansen’s posts about his daughter’s last year has reached around 9.4 million reads, he said. It’s a story about the last ride he and Kennedy took in his truck days before her death, which has been republished several times by publications catering to men.
“I WILL NEVER forget the feelings in my heart or hers as I scooped her up in my arms and we both began to cry,” he wrote. “I gently laid her in the front seat and with every ounce of courage had to whisper in her ear that this would be The Last Ride.”
Hansen also wrote of the love his daughter shared with only him. “Kennedy kissed me and rubbed my arm,” he wrote. “She knew and understood that there was something so special about our truck rides, about a man, his truck, and his daughter.”
“I did not want the moment to end,” he wrote. “I did not want it to go away.”
Hansen said it took months to answer the 334,000 comments the post received when it was first published.
“I don’t know why it was so powerful, but it keeps getting shared over and over and over again,” Hansen said.
A song written about the ride says: “Couldn’t ask for a more beautiful day, as you soon go on your way, riding off in the sunset.”
RELATED: Kennedy Hansen funeral draws thousands
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Soon, Hansen’s viewpoint will hit two new mediums, potentially expanding the audience of his family’s story.
Hansen has authored a book about his daughter’s life, which he said will be released and available before Christmas. He is final negotiations with editors.
A movie is also in the works, set to be filmed this summer by T.C. Christensen, the producer of “The Cokeville Miracle” and other popular films. It is expected to released around Memorial Day 2017.
Kennedy’s little brother, Beau, 8, was excited to report that he’ll be playing himself.
The movie will be a narrative told from the father’s perspective and will be filmed in many of the same places where the miracles Hansen tells about took place, including Kennedy’s own room.
This week, Hansen gave the Standard-Examiner a tour of Kennedy’s room, which they have renamed the Garden Room.
Her room remains mostly in tact from the day she died, with her dolls, trophies and posters still in place in the West Haven home.
The room has its own guest book as the family still allows grieving friends and associates to go in and spend time by themselves. Hansen also pointed to eight books of blog posts family members have scrapbooked.
Hansen has shared his story in more than 50 presentations in the last year, hoping to inspire others with Kennedy’s story.
Last month, he spoke at a ”Spiritually Healed” conference at Weber State University. He handed out pink ribbons and asked listeners to wear the ribbons until they shared hugs with people in need.
Conference organizer Brenda Mower Lindsay said those who attended were inspired by Hansen’s example.
“The love and compassion he has for his daughter, Kennedy, I believe is just like Heavenly Father has for his children,” she said.
Hansen said he always tried to love his neighbors but never dreamed of the way his neighbors would love him back.
“We always tried to help everyone else and we thought nothing was ever going to happen to us and when it did, the return was unbelievable,” he said.
You may reach reporter JaNae Francis at 801-625-4228. Follow her on Twitter at @JaNaeFrancisSE or like her on Facebook.
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