“As it hit midnight, I felt this overwhelming urge to call you. I knew something wasn’t right. I fell to the floor in shock. ‘Your sister has taken her life.’ I could not believe you were gone.”
‘I begged for you to stay the night, but you said you had to go. I gave you a big hug, not knowing it would be the last. You told me you would see me soon. I believed you.’
‘Today, you are no longer an actual baby. I’m not sure what the official age cut off is, but in my mind, this is it. This is the moment we turn the page into toddler-hood.’
“These days, I feel lucky if you want to be held for more than a few seconds. You are so busy exploring and playing. You already feel the need to be independent. To do it yourself. To have things your way. Your little baby features are fading away, and I can suddenly see a big boy peeking through.”
‘My worst nightmare was happening. I laid on the OR table gasping for air. ‘Help me! I can’t breathe!’ I stared into my mother’s eyes. I could see the fear written all over her face.’
“A huge splash of fluid hit the curtain in my face. All I could think was, ‘I’m going to die right here. I was born on this day, and I’m going to die on this day giving birth.'”
‘We would take her in a heartbeat, we were really hoping no one would come after her.’ I surprised Bob, for his 80th birthday, with the gift of Sloan.
He mentioned if she ever needed company or a place to visit, she was welcome at their home anytime. ‘We’ll be here waiting!’ he said.
‘My son was 4 days away from 8 months old. Never one health concern, happy and brighter than the sun itself. I was in total bliss. Then, just like that, it was gone.’
“I remember running into the ER asking about my son in between sobs. The doctor came in, looked me in the eyes and said, ‘I’m sorry.’”
‘We had just been to Disney celebrating her birthday. She got a magical princess makeover. Little did we know she was practicing to be a Princess in Heaven a few days later.’
“She threw up and had a fever. I took her to her doctor. She was so lethargic. We were told it is just a stomach virus – 20 hours later she was dead.”
‘I got pissed at 4-year-old’s birthday party. I bought a new outfit and even sprayed deodorant. I BECAME PRESENTABLE, and I was ready to make friends, ya know what I’m saying?’
“My son was invited to a fellow kindergartner’s birthday – our first invite living in a new area, where I know NO ONE. I was pretty nervous, okay?”
‘While he’s so young, I want him to remember me. So he can be sure how very much I love him.’ Dying mother leaves gifts, notes behind for her son through his 21st birthday
“Personal effects like my notepads – so he can see what my writing was like. Or the perfume he helped pick out for me earlier this year so he’ll remember my smell.”
‘He told her our baby would have a 2% chance to make it, and if he did, he would be mentally handicapped. A handicapped child is still a child, and still deserves to be loved.’
“We were frantic! I called 16 different hospitals in 3 states. We got her transferred. They were going to do everything possible to try to get Molli to the 22 week mark and bring Cullen into the world as healthy as he could be.”
‘Why our children bake their OWN birthday treats.’
“We hope to teach our children they don’t always need the latest and greatest to have a fulfilling life. They kept saying, ‘look at my cupcakes! Look! I made that! I did that, guys!'”
