The last crane: On parenting a dying child

The last paper crane my daughter folded — Photo: Phil Mansfield Photography

When I was a new mother, I focused on firsts — the first smile, the first step, the first day of school — and all the countless, tiny triumphs in between that are the reward of motherhood.

Even so, those years were hard. Sleep deprivation and the relentlessness of caring for two small children made me yearn for each anticipated first like a lifeline. I couldn’t wait for the years when my…