By Daniella GrayShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA toddler from Mississippi has broken hearts across the internet for what he said during what would have been his brother’s third birthday.
In a clip on TikTok (@presleykloac), parents Presley and Wes Kloac sing "Happy Birthday" with their 4-year-old son, James Barrett “Bear,” in honor of their youngest, Bowen Rhodes—“Bo”—who passed away shortly after birth.
After they finish singing, Wes tells Bear to make a wish. “I wished that Bo would be down here forever," Bear said.
...Presley, 28, told Newsweek that it was a moment mixed with joy, sadness and grief. “We are so happy that Bear knows and loves and remembers his little brother…but it also causes great grief and sadness knowing that we aren't able to bring him back,” she said. “There is such great sadness in seeing your child hurt and experiencing pain and knowing that there is nothing that you are able to do to fix it for them or make it better.”
Bowen was diagnosed in utero with bladder outlet obstruction—a rare, often fatal condition that blocks urination and leads to severe, irreversible organ damage.
Presley remembers her 20-week anatomy scan—a day that should have been filled with happiness and excitement for the parents—when the mood shifted.
“‘He looks like he needs to use the bathroom!’ our ultrasound tech said, giggling in a joking way but instantly, everything changed,” Presley said.
After another doctor confirmed Bo’s diagnosis, Presley and Wes were on their way to specialists in Jackson, four hours away from their home city in Saltillo.
Eventually, after six months of weekly “viability” checks for their baby’s heartbeat, the parents had to prepare for the possibility of losing him at any moment.
“Each visit we went in, I would hold my breath as he stuck the machine to my stomach, anticipating the worst news any parent could possibly get, wondering each time, would this be the day they tell me that my baby is gone?” Presley said.
But Bowen held on. Presley said she felt him move while teaching, tiny rolls and kicks that became bittersweet reminders of milestones she knew she’d never witness.
Against all odds, he made it to delivery day. And then he stunned doctors a second time—surviving not minutes, but two full hours in his parents’ arms.
“We told him that it was OK to let go and that we didn't want him to be in pain or suffering,” Presley said. “We wanted him to know that we would miss him each and every day of our lives, but that we would be OK until we saw him again in heaven.”
The fact that Bowen lived is what makes the Kloac family’s yearly ritual so special. Presley explained that singing "Happy Birthday" isn’t about marking his death, but acknowledging his birth.
Navigating grief has required the kind of teamwork that ebbs and flows with each parent's strength. Some seasons, Presley said, Wes carries more of the emotional load; in others, she steps in when he can’t.
“We have had to take turns carrying the weight and being a pillar of strength for each other,” Presley said. “But always both being there for our oldest and staying strong as a united front for him.”
Presley's clip has gone viral on TikTok, amassing 2.7 million views. Users in the comments were heartbroken by little Bear's wish.
"This brought tears to my eyes. Thinking of y'all today," one user wrote, while another said, "The look between mom and dad. So much love, so much sorrow in a simple glance."
Many others shared photos of loved ones who said were with Bowen in heaven too.
Now on what would have been Bowen’s third birthday, Presley said their grief is softer around the edges but never gone. She still catches herself looking at her nieces—born just after Bowen—and thinking, he should be toddling around like them.
“We also think of Bowen a lot when on vacations or family events or holidays,” Presley added. “How technically we are a family of four, when only three of us are here and in pictures.”
Yet there is comfort for the Kloacs: in faith community, and the hope that their story might help other parents navigating the unthinkable.
“We take comfort in knowing that our sweet baby boy is…no longer suffering," Presley said. “We also take comfort in knowing that he was met by our friends and families that have passed and that they are with him as well.
“My family and I also hope to continue to be an inspiration to other families who have experienced something similar and be able to support them through their trials, knowing we have been there.”
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