“I’m almost certain that you didn’t think this through. You didn’t think about the consequences. You didn’t think what you were sending would be received by a woman who could never conceive. To a woman who was struggling to conceive. To a woman who had just lost a baby. Or someone like me, who had just had a miscarriage not even 2 months before.
I’m almost certain that absolutely none of this crossed your mind as you executed your ‘brilliant’ marketing strategy. And now, you can’t take it back. It’s only been ONE week since I sat in this very spot, typing up my miscarriage experience for the first time. One week since I was able to let out all that pain into words. One week since I was able to honor My Little One in such a special way with you all. One week only.
And now, two days since, I received a pink envelope (with no return address) in the mail. Inside it, a pregnancy card that read, ‘Congratulations! You’re gonna have a baby!’ My heart dropped to my stomach. What kind of sick joke was this? That’s all I could think the second I read the words.
I showed it to my mom. Her face also dropped. ‘Ay, hija,’ was all she could say. I fell into her arms crying. I could almost physically FEEL the wound in my heart that was slowly healing begin to tear open again. After a few minutes, I pulled myself together as best I could and opened the card.
‘Congratulations! I’m SOOOO happy for you! Hope you enjoy these! Love, Jenny B.’
Along with it, six gift cards and a gift receipt totalling $245, and five coupons. Jenny B? Who Is Jenny B? The only person I knew with those initials had just gotten married and was now using her husbands last name with an ‘M.’ And I didn’t know her well enough to receive a anything from her, let alone $245 in gift cards! The envelope, the card, the name, and everything else was legitimately strange.
For hours, I wondered who could’ve sent me this random envelope. Yes, I had been pregnant, but I wasn’t anymore and I had only told my CLOSE family. The date on the gift cards receipt read ‘September 21st,’ meaning the sender had purchased these almost a month after I had miscarried. And to top it all off, it was marked from ‘Utah.’ I have never met a single person from Utah.
I began to get paranoid, so I did the only thing I could think of. I Facebooked ‘Jenny B’ from ‘Utah’ and was immediately met with two pages. Their profile picture? The same exact card I had received in the mail. I found myself reading and re-reading the two pages, shocked at what I had found.
After thorough research, it was concluded that hundreds of women across the United States had received the same envelope. Addressed to them, without a return address. All signed by Jenny B. And in these pages, I was able to find out who Jenny B was…or is.
Jenny B is nothing more than a maternity company that wanted to increase their sales and customers. A company that thought randomly sending these envelopes/gift cards out was a great marketing strategy. And how did they get our names and addresses? Apparently, taking them out of other maternity companies’ systems is easier than we would think. The companies we WILLINGLY give our names and addresses to. Whether we give it to them as expecting mothers, mothers, aunts, cousins, friends or Godmothers. And let me be clear, I doubt those same stores have any idea this has been happening. All customer information is private.
I’m sure some of you might think, ‘Free gift cards! Who cares if it was a bit strange!’ but that’s the thing. For a woman who will never be able to conceive, a women who is struggling to conceive, a woman who lost a baby or like me a woman that JUST miscarried, that envelope was a haunting reminder. For many women, that envelope is a slap in the face. I personally felt that smack.
As I cried in my mom’s driveway, I could feel God sealing that promise through the words on that card. I could feel Him declaring to my heart that, ‘You’re GONNA have a baby.’ For me, there was a gleam of hope through this unexpected card. But I understand that for many other women around the country, the moment will not be the same.
And Jenny B, please know that simply writing, ‘If you yourself cannot use these cards, please pass them along to someone who can,’ with a smiley face at the end is an even bigger slap in the face to all those women out there. I get that business is business and your only objective is money, but BE HUMAN.
Know that this wasn’t the way to go about it. And for any woman reading this that has received or may receive this same envelope in the mail, handle it how you will. If you don’t mind, that’s awesome and 100% your choice. But if you DO mind and you are one of the women mentioned on here, tear it up, burn it, throw it out or yes, even you KEEP IT for that future little one you are fighting for. However he or she may come. Adoption included. Do what YOU want but don’t let this break you or disturb your peace. Take it in stride and keep your head up.”
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This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Viviana Bedoy of Melrose Park, Illinois. You can follow her journey on Facebook and Instagram. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.
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