30 days....
is all that's left until my "due" date. March 15, 2012. That's the date that I'm due to give birth to the greatest blessing GOD has given me. However; I'm not sure if Little Miss Mylah is going to wait until then. I'm getting very anxious and with every pain I wonder "is it time".
I feel like an Olympic runner in the final lap of the 400 meter race darting towards the finish line. I'm running against; the doctor who said Mylah's fate was "sealed", the negative co-worker who questioned the reason for my baby shower and asked if I was in "denial" about what's to come, the medical professionals who have deemed Trisomy 18 children as "incompatible with life", and against the devil & all the things that are negative regarding this situation.
Statistics & percentages don't matter to me. Mylah has defied so many odds thus far. Yet I feel my "motherly instincts" kicking in. I feel like a mother who is preparing to see her child off to college. She's been under my care in my womb for 8 months and soon she will have to do for herself. She will have to breathe on her own, learn to eat, she will no longer depend on my body 100% of the time and this is scary.
So much has happened since the last time I wrote.
I attended a Michigan Right to Life event at my mothers church for their Black History Month series. I was shocked by the statistics that were given during this event. I was saddened by the number of abortions that African American women have had since abortion has become legal in 1973. In my lifetime I've known individuals who have had abortions. I called myself a friend to those who chose to disclose their decision to me. I was one who felt that it was a woman's choice to do what she felt she needed to do for her life and for her situation. I considered myself Pro-Choice.
Not until Juwan and I struggled to get pregnant did my views on abortion change. I actually felt during this emotional time that GOD was punishing me for supporting people when they made the decision to abort their babies. I felt that GOD was telling me that I was supposed to speak up and convince these people that abortion was wrong and that their reasons for abortion were not valid. He wanted me to stand up and say that this was life that HE had blessed them with and that they should carry on with their pregnancies. I've since become Pro-Life because I know that GOD is the only one who can give life. He gave me life and he gave Mylah life. When we were presented with the option to abort Mylah after the Trisomy 18 diagnosis because she is deemed incompatible with life I became very angry. Who was this physician? What gave him the right to offer me this as an option? Who was this medical professional to think he could tell me what my child was incompatible with?
GOD designed Mylah to be how he wanted her to be. He gave her life. I prayed for him to give me a child and that's just what he did. So who was I to end the life that GOD had given her? I knew that it was not my right to do so. So that's why I still carry her to this day, because GOD has his plan for her. He chose Juwan and I as her parents and it's our responsibility to love, provide, and care for her as long as GOD allows her to be ours.
During the event Q & A session I wanted to know if the stats that were presented included those abortions performed in the hospital. When I asked my question I had no intention of mentioning my situation, but GOD had another plan. I spoke very briefly about Mylah, her diagnosis and the option for abortion that was presented to us during our meeting with the specialists. I was applauded because I decided to carry Mylah. The pastor of the church mentioned that he knew a couple whose daughter had been born with a abnormality and that the medical community was less than encompassing of her condition. He explained the child's parents were also faced with different adversities. They had named their daughter Faith and he wanted my husband and I to be able to connect with them because he felt that they would be able to help us with our situation.
After the event, I was approached by a number of people who wanted to give their blessings and said that they would be praying for our family. Two ladies gave me monetary gifts for Mylah and I also met a lady who had birthed a Trisomy 18 baby. Her baby unfortunately passed away but she gave me her contact information and said that if I needed information or someone to talk to who had been in the same situation I could call her. I left the event so full from all of the support and encouragement that I had received from people who didn't know anything about me. It helped me realize that there are people who do genuinely care. **** That was on Wednesday***
This past Monday while on my way to work I received a text from a close friend who informed me that a family with a daughter with Trisomy 18 was on the front page of the Detroit Free Press. I rushed to work hoping I could buy a copy of the Free Press before the cafeteria ran out. I ran, well lets be real at 35 weeks I'm not running anywhere.. so lets say I rushed past the grill and the oatmeal to pick up the paper and there they were on the front page of the paper with one of the most beautiful little girls I had ever seen. What's so funny is that in that moment I saw Juwan, Mylah and myself! The Smith Family; Brad, Jesi, and their daughter Faith on the cover of Monday's Free Press. The article told how the Smith's like us were told to prepare for their daughters death. But they refused to listen to what doctors thought they knew about their child. The article also tells how Presidential candidate Rick Santorum gave Brad advice that helped their daughter in a number of ways. The Smith's along with their other 4 children have embraced Faith and the pictures show that they are one big happy family.
As I read the article I couldn't help but wish that I could talk to this family. They had been where we are, they had walked the journey before us and how great it would be to speak to someone locally about how they managed to get to where they were now.
Earlier on Monday I'd been talking on the phone to one of the Trisomy 18 Mommies that I connected with on Facebook. She lives in Minnesota and I clearly remember the day after Mylah's diagnosis finding her YouTube video that displayed pictures of her son. I recall crying tears of joy when across my screen flashed a picture of her son on the beach in his swim trunks and goggles. I just kept thinking "He's so beautiful and the cutest little boy" It was in her video that I found joy in a time when things were looking so dim. She was giving me some advice and I brought up the irony between our discussion and the family on the front of my local paper. She immediately told me that the father was in our Trisomy 18 Mommie group and had posted the link to the story on the page, but because I was in training, I hadn't been able to look at Facebook since earlier that morning.
After work, my mother & I were talking on the phone and I asked her had she seen the paper? I can't remember how this came up but my mother said that she had a feeling that the family that the article was about was the same family her pastor wanted to connect us with. She specifically asked me "remember he said their daughters name was Faith?". I did recall, but never connected the two together. So as you can imagine my anticipation increased. When I arrived home I rushed to my laptop and looked at the post on the Trisomy group. I clicked on the posters name; Brad Smith, and saw that he was local. Immediately I commented on the link he posted just giving a brief description and indicated that I would love to meet them. Later, that night I received a voice mail from a number that I didn't have programmed in my phone. When I listened to the message, the corners of my mouth expanded outward and formed a smile. It was Brad Smith, the father in the article. I felt in that moment that a celebrity had called me. His voice so pleasant and warming expressed that he and his wife would be happy to meet us. I couldn't call my mother fast enough. In the message he said that my fellow Minnesota Trisomy mother had given him my phone number.
I gathered my thoughts and called them when I arrived home later on. The Smith's are a loving, caring, compassionate family! It was like I was talking to old friends. Jesi was so encouraging & positive and their willingness to support Juwan and I was just so overwhelming. I received confirmation from GOD thru my conversation with the Smith's about a number of things that I had been wondering about. I'm so thankful for the Smith family because they could easily not been so willing to share their story. They shared their pictures and allowed the media into their life and the life of their child so that others could see what Trisomy 18 looked like and that it's not the death sentence that so many think it is. I'm so happy that our paths have crossed and each day GOD is showing me where I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing with this testimony that he preparing me for.
I feel like an Olympic runner in the final lap of the 400 meter race darting towards the finish line. I'm running against; the doctor who said Mylah's fate was "sealed", the negative co-worker who questioned the reason for my baby shower and asked if I was in "denial" about what's to come, the medical professionals who have deemed Trisomy 18 children as "incompatible with life", and against the devil & all the things that are negative regarding this situation.
Statistics & percentages don't matter to me. Mylah has defied so many odds thus far. Yet I feel my "motherly instincts" kicking in. I feel like a mother who is preparing to see her child off to college. She's been under my care in my womb for 8 months and soon she will have to do for herself. She will have to breathe on her own, learn to eat, she will no longer depend on my body 100% of the time and this is scary.
So much has happened since the last time I wrote.
I attended a Michigan Right to Life event at my mothers church for their Black History Month series. I was shocked by the statistics that were given during this event. I was saddened by the number of abortions that African American women have had since abortion has become legal in 1973. In my lifetime I've known individuals who have had abortions. I called myself a friend to those who chose to disclose their decision to me. I was one who felt that it was a woman's choice to do what she felt she needed to do for her life and for her situation. I considered myself Pro-Choice.
Not until Juwan and I struggled to get pregnant did my views on abortion change. I actually felt during this emotional time that GOD was punishing me for supporting people when they made the decision to abort their babies. I felt that GOD was telling me that I was supposed to speak up and convince these people that abortion was wrong and that their reasons for abortion were not valid. He wanted me to stand up and say that this was life that HE had blessed them with and that they should carry on with their pregnancies. I've since become Pro-Life because I know that GOD is the only one who can give life. He gave me life and he gave Mylah life. When we were presented with the option to abort Mylah after the Trisomy 18 diagnosis because she is deemed incompatible with life I became very angry. Who was this physician? What gave him the right to offer me this as an option? Who was this medical professional to think he could tell me what my child was incompatible with?
GOD designed Mylah to be how he wanted her to be. He gave her life. I prayed for him to give me a child and that's just what he did. So who was I to end the life that GOD had given her? I knew that it was not my right to do so. So that's why I still carry her to this day, because GOD has his plan for her. He chose Juwan and I as her parents and it's our responsibility to love, provide, and care for her as long as GOD allows her to be ours.
During the event Q & A session I wanted to know if the stats that were presented included those abortions performed in the hospital. When I asked my question I had no intention of mentioning my situation, but GOD had another plan. I spoke very briefly about Mylah, her diagnosis and the option for abortion that was presented to us during our meeting with the specialists. I was applauded because I decided to carry Mylah. The pastor of the church mentioned that he knew a couple whose daughter had been born with a abnormality and that the medical community was less than encompassing of her condition. He explained the child's parents were also faced with different adversities. They had named their daughter Faith and he wanted my husband and I to be able to connect with them because he felt that they would be able to help us with our situation.
After the event, I was approached by a number of people who wanted to give their blessings and said that they would be praying for our family. Two ladies gave me monetary gifts for Mylah and I also met a lady who had birthed a Trisomy 18 baby. Her baby unfortunately passed away but she gave me her contact information and said that if I needed information or someone to talk to who had been in the same situation I could call her. I left the event so full from all of the support and encouragement that I had received from people who didn't know anything about me. It helped me realize that there are people who do genuinely care. **** That was on Wednesday***
This past Monday while on my way to work I received a text from a close friend who informed me that a family with a daughter with Trisomy 18 was on the front page of the Detroit Free Press. I rushed to work hoping I could buy a copy of the Free Press before the cafeteria ran out. I ran, well lets be real at 35 weeks I'm not running anywhere.. so lets say I rushed past the grill and the oatmeal to pick up the paper and there they were on the front page of the paper with one of the most beautiful little girls I had ever seen. What's so funny is that in that moment I saw Juwan, Mylah and myself! The Smith Family; Brad, Jesi, and their daughter Faith on the cover of Monday's Free Press. The article told how the Smith's like us were told to prepare for their daughters death. But they refused to listen to what doctors thought they knew about their child. The article also tells how Presidential candidate Rick Santorum gave Brad advice that helped their daughter in a number of ways. The Smith's along with their other 4 children have embraced Faith and the pictures show that they are one big happy family.
As I read the article I couldn't help but wish that I could talk to this family. They had been where we are, they had walked the journey before us and how great it would be to speak to someone locally about how they managed to get to where they were now.
Earlier on Monday I'd been talking on the phone to one of the Trisomy 18 Mommies that I connected with on Facebook. She lives in Minnesota and I clearly remember the day after Mylah's diagnosis finding her YouTube video that displayed pictures of her son. I recall crying tears of joy when across my screen flashed a picture of her son on the beach in his swim trunks and goggles. I just kept thinking "He's so beautiful and the cutest little boy" It was in her video that I found joy in a time when things were looking so dim. She was giving me some advice and I brought up the irony between our discussion and the family on the front of my local paper. She immediately told me that the father was in our Trisomy 18 Mommie group and had posted the link to the story on the page, but because I was in training, I hadn't been able to look at Facebook since earlier that morning.
After work, my mother & I were talking on the phone and I asked her had she seen the paper? I can't remember how this came up but my mother said that she had a feeling that the family that the article was about was the same family her pastor wanted to connect us with. She specifically asked me "remember he said their daughters name was Faith?". I did recall, but never connected the two together. So as you can imagine my anticipation increased. When I arrived home I rushed to my laptop and looked at the post on the Trisomy group. I clicked on the posters name; Brad Smith, and saw that he was local. Immediately I commented on the link he posted just giving a brief description and indicated that I would love to meet them. Later, that night I received a voice mail from a number that I didn't have programmed in my phone. When I listened to the message, the corners of my mouth expanded outward and formed a smile. It was Brad Smith, the father in the article. I felt in that moment that a celebrity had called me. His voice so pleasant and warming expressed that he and his wife would be happy to meet us. I couldn't call my mother fast enough. In the message he said that my fellow Minnesota Trisomy mother had given him my phone number.
I gathered my thoughts and called them when I arrived home later on. The Smith's are a loving, caring, compassionate family! It was like I was talking to old friends. Jesi was so encouraging & positive and their willingness to support Juwan and I was just so overwhelming. I received confirmation from GOD thru my conversation with the Smith's about a number of things that I had been wondering about. I'm so thankful for the Smith family because they could easily not been so willing to share their story. They shared their pictures and allowed the media into their life and the life of their child so that others could see what Trisomy 18 looked like and that it's not the death sentence that so many think it is. I'm so happy that our paths have crossed and each day GOD is showing me where I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing with this testimony that he preparing me for.
Dearest Mina,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for being transparent and sharing those things that are on your mind and heart. God is the conductor in our life. He orchestrates so very well. Oh how I love how He leads, guides, directs, encourages and orders our footsteps. He wants us to be obedient and He has given us the Bible (manual of life) in which we must seek what His will is for our lives. My pastor always says, "We must consult the author", His word is the blueprint for everything; living, family, marriage and even life.
The old adage “when we know better, we do better”, is so true. Sometimes we just don’t know and we operate and make decisions based on what we know at that time. Then later we find that our perspective was wrong or flawed or we weren’t equipped. Another old adage comes to mind “if I knew then what I know now”. My mother use to say “there’s so much you don’t know to make 5 other worlds”. We are supposed to learn something new EVERYDAY. I said all that to say God meets us where we are at, but He is a forgiving God. We can lay it before him, confess, repent and be forgiven and walk in freedom. I don’t think God punished you if you didn’t know. I can say you are better equipped with knowledge on abortion now so you are empowered to advise the next person who comes to you. I am always in awe of how God reveals Himself. The Holy Spirit has been showing me so much. He advised me to invite you to the Life Speaker’s Series at my church, so you can see and get confirmation that you and Juwan made the right decision. God doesn’t want us to walk alone, so He sends people into our lives to encourage, equipped and confirm that we are on the right path. God knows how to bring things to the forefront and give/sends us confirmation after confirmation. There is so much information out there and especially after Rick Santorum announced he has a daughter Bella, who is 3 years old with Trisomy 18. I can't image if you got an abortion (taking the doctor's advice) then saw the story on Santorum's daughter living beyond the first year, the “what if's”. God again was giving us confirmation when He put the Smith family on the front page of the local paper. Then, how you were able to connect with one of the mothers from your group, who give you additional questions to ask your doctor for clarity the day of your doctor’s appointment and how the Smith family contacted you. Look at God! Praise God!
Have A Grateful Day!
Love Ya!
Dearest Mina,
ReplyDeleteThis is the continuation to my first comment. I got long winded and had too many characters.
On Sunday when we were going to pick up the baby’s bassinet, they were playing a song on the radio and the words just leaped out at me. I actually got goose bumps. I knew the artist to be Whitney Houston, but I didn’t recognize the song (Miracle).
Here are the words:
How could I throw away a miracle?
How could I face another day?
It's all of my doing
I made a choice
And, today, I pay
My heart is full of pain
How could you understand the way I feel?
How could you relate to so much pain?
Seems as though nothing
Can comfort me
So, today, I pray
That someone should listen
For nothing should matter
Not when love grows inside you
The choice is yours
There's a miracle in store
Nothing should matter
Not when love grows inside you
A voice of love is crying out
"Don't throw love away"
There's a miracle in store
How could I let go of a miracle?
Nothing could ever take its place
Thought I was looking
Out for myself
Now, it seems the pain
Is all that I have gained
I wonder if I could be your miracle
I wonder if I could spare you pain
Seems as though nothing
Will comfort me
Lord, 'less, today, I pray
That you should come listen
Don't ever throw away your miracle
Don't let it slip away
So nothing should matter
No, nothing should matter
Not when love grows inside you
The choice is yours
There's a miracle in store
No, nothing should matter
Not when love grows inside you
A voice of love is crying out
"Don't throw love away"
There's a miracle in store...for you
The words are so powerful and I equate them to a mother who was pregnant and struggles with her choice to abort, but she offers so much advice for those who are pregnant, “No, nothing should matter. Not when love grows inside you. The choice is yours .There's a miracle in store”.
Mina you have LOVE growing inside of you.
Have a Grateful Day!
Love You Always!