Atlanta, GA

Atlanta mom launches online support network in honor of late son: ‘Brody inspired this’

Published

3 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Atlanta mom launches online support network in honor of late son: ‘Brody inspired this’

ATLANTA – A metro Atlanta mom, whose son was stillborn, has turned her grief into a new social network for moms who have experienced similar loss.

Katherine Lazar says when she lost her first child, hearing from other moms in Atlanta who had experienced the same thing was the only way she was able to move forward.

“In January of 2020, our first son was stillborn at 37 weeks. And what I found was that life completely changed. Everything changed,” Lazar said.

She says she didn’t know if she would ever feel happy again after losing her first child, Brody.

“I had a wonderful support system with my friends, my family and my husband. It was amazing. But I really needed to hear the perspective of someone who had been through a term stillbirth before, because I needed to have someone look at me and just say, ‘I understand,’” Lazar said.

Then she connected with three other moms in Atlanta who had also lost a baby. Lazar says they call themselves “loss moms.”

“Those women saved me. I did not know how to survive the death. I gave birth to a baby that was gone, and I didn’t know how to move forward. They showed me not only how to move forward, but that it was okay to move forward. They taught me how to laugh again and smile again,” Lazar said.

When she got pregnant again in 2023, she says she tried to join Facebook and other social media groups to try and connect with other moms.

“It was always kind of framed with ‘No negativity, please! Don’t want to be scared, only positive comments’… and so, I saw a lot of us getting censored off of groups saying we were scaring people,” Lazar said.

Katherine Laza, who launched losslink.com, a new social media site dedicated to mothers who have lost their children, shows the feet of her stillborn son, Brody. It is an image which had been removed from traditional social media sites. (Supplied)

So, she started her own Facebook group. Soon she began connecting with more local loss moms.

“And we now have happy hours every month and dinners every month. I see my friends for coffee every month. And there’s something to be said about sitting across from somebody who understands it… We talk about our babies that have died. We talk about life. We talk about everything,” Lazar said.

She noticed people in other cities and states were having a hard time connecting to other loss moms in their areas.

“People started messaging me and saying, ‘Hey, I want what you have in Atlanta, can you hook me up with someone in my town?’” Lazar said.

Katherine Laza, whose son was stillborn, launched losslink.com, a new social media site dedicated to mothers who have lost their children. (FOX 5)

So, she started connecting people just by herself, but it was not long before she thought there had to be an easier way to do this. That is when she thought to start her own social media site just for loss moms.

“Losslink.com…essentially like a Facebook meets LinkedIn for mothers who have experienced pregnancy loss, stillbirth, TMFR, infant loss and child death,” Lazar said.

It took working with a developer for over a year, but she says the result has been worth it.

“The day that it launched, all these profiles were popping up, and I was like, ‘I’ve never seen all of them in one place.’ And it was so overwhelming because so many broken hearts and so many babies gone and I love all of them,” Lazar said.

On Losslink.com, Katherine says no mom is censored.

“You can share a photo of your baby, which a lot of times is not allowed on regular platforms, because nobody wants to see a baby that’s an angel baby. But we’re proud of them,” Lazar said.

She says it is been incredibly rewarding to see women use her site to pull each other out of the same darkness she once found herself in.

“Women are meeting each other, and they’re having coffee, and they’re sharing doctors, ‘Hey, go to this doctor, they’re really kind.’ You know, ‘Hey, go to this therapist.’ They’re really great. So now they’re sharing resources with each other. It’s been really cool to see,” Lazar said.

Katherine Laza, whose son was stillborn, launched losslink.com, a new social media site dedicated to mothers who have lost their children. (FOX 5)

It is also rewarding for her to see a new legacy for her son, of connection through pain and loss.

“To be able to say ‘Brody inspired this, Brody is behind this. Brody is connecting these angel babies, mothers together,’ has been really rewarding as a mom for a baby that’s gone,” she said.

You can sign up and create a profile here: losslink.com.

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Atlanta, GA

Trade Rumors: Atlanta Braves Inquired on Los Angeles Angels Outfielder

Published

10 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

Trade Rumors: Atlanta Braves Inquired on Los Angeles Angels Outfielder

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves’ pursuit of outfield help at the MLB trade deadline has brought them to the west coast.

The Braves, along with the Seattle Mariners, have reached out to the Los Angeles Angels about outfielder Taylor Ward, according to The Athletic MLB insider Jim Bowden.

“The Angels don’t have to trade Ward, who has hit 15 home runs with 47 RBIs,” writes Bowden, “but they have listened when teams like the Braves and Mariners have texted them.”

Atlanta and Los Angeles are no strangers to making trades with one another, and Angels general manager Perry Minasian worked under Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos from 2009-15 and 2017-20.

Since December 2023, the Braves and Angels have made three trades.

The first, coming Dec. 9, saw Atlanta acquire infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi for first baseman Evan White and left-handed pitcher Tyler Thomas.

On May 2, the Braves landed right-handed pitcher Jimmy Herget from the Angels in exchange for cash consideration. A week later, the two sides flipped roles, with Atlanta shipping infielder Luis Guillorme to Los Angeles for cash.

Thus, the Braves looking to fill one of their most pressing voids — an instant outfield starter — with an Angels standout makes plenty of sense.

The 30-year-old Ward is under team control through 2026, which makes him an intriguing asset in both the short- and long-term. Ward has hit .250 or better each of the past four years, though he’s had a difficult 2024, slashing .227/.309/.401. In July, his splits are .154/.230/.218.

But Ward brings a proven track record of steady power and defensive versatility, as he’s played all three outfield positions during his time in Los Angeles. He’s primarily a corner outfielder, playing strictly left field this year while holding nearly 200 appearances in right field, but he’s also logged 19 career games in center.

Whether Atlanta ultimately lands Ward remains to be seen — but the fit, from both a team and player perspective, makes sense. The answer will be in soon enough, as the 2024 trade deadline is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday.

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Atlanta, GA

‘We’ll Move’: Atlanta Falcons Assistant GM Talks Kirk Cousins Tampering Penalty

Published

17 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

‘We’ll Move’: Atlanta Falcons Assistant GM Talks Kirk Cousins Tampering Penalty

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons front office has addressed the tampering penalties assessed to the team by the NFL after the signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith spoke with reporters Sunday morning, a month and a half after Atlanta lost a 2025 fifth-round pick and paid a $250,000 fine for tampering with Cousins, receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner in free agency.

“You open your doors to the deal and the process,” Smith said. “Like anything, whether it’s involving us or another team, you always look at all those deals and you look at your process from within and things you have to do to adjust and move forward. So, we’ll move forward.”

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was additionally fined $50,000 for his role in the violation.

After a thorough, three-month-long process, the NFL found Atlanta broke the league’s rules regarding logistical and administrative contact, such as making travel plans after deals were agreed upon.

Conversely, the league didn’t find the Falcons made contact with players before the legal negotiating window opened. From the start of the process to the end, Atlanta stressed it cooperated fully with the NFL’s investigation.

Smith said the Falcons are using the penalties as a learning opportunity.

“I won’t go too far into the weeds as to what happened in the investigation,” Smith said. “But whenever that ruling comes for us, or it could be for another team, you always look at the processes of those things, and you adjust and adapt in terms of what you’re going to do moving forward, which we will do.”

Falcons owner Arthur Blank will speak with reporters Tuesday and general manager Terry Fontenot will take the podium Wednesday, marking the first time each are available following the league’s decision.

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Atlanta, GA

Flash flood warnings issued in metro Atlanta Sunday night

Published

1 day ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

Flash flood warnings issued in metro Atlanta Sunday night

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Multiple flash floods have been issued in and around metro Atlanta Sunday night.

Warnings were issued for Barrow, Clarke, Oconee and Walton counties until 10:45 p.m., Meriwether County until 11:15 p.m., Coweta County until 11:30 p.m., and Clayton, Fayette and Fulton counties until 2:45 a.m. Monday.

Downed power lines closed SR 15 at Elder Mill Road near Athens and flooding closed SR 109 at McLaughlin Road in Meriwether County, according to the Gergia Department of Transportation.

The weather also sent the Atlanta Open off on a wet note. The rain postponed play until at least 10:30 p.m.

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