Dan, it is so very good to see your message here. Sylvia's passing has touched us all more than we are ever likely to be able to say, but her presence here beforehand was such a gift and inspiration to so many. It was a real privilege to say we 'knew' her via her contributions here on the DIS, and she is a great loss in so many ways.
However, if Nick has inherited her spirit and compassion for others, I am pretty sure he will also grow into a very special and caring person in his own right, even if he has been deprived of his mother's love at far too early an age. It is heartening to hope and think that Sylvia's legacy will be maintained in this way.
I truly cannot imagine what you have been through and still have to to bear, but it is with the most fervent hope that we at the DIS have helped in some small way and can continue to do so in future that I trust you - and Nick, in time - will be able to contribute here in future.
I wish you peace and friendship,
Simon Veness