I'm a mom. I relish in the moments that are milestones in my children's lives....peeing in the toilet, riding a bike, first steps. My son's first word was "dada" and my daughter's first word was "mama". Those of you who know them know that's pretty characteristic of their personalities. But, like most moms, I find myself complaining from time to time about trivial things...pee on the toilet seat, not eating enough veggies, taking too long to pull on those shoes in our rush to get to school on time.
And then I catch myself.
I have a daughter. I have a daughter who pees. I have a daughter who pees on toilet seats, who loves to be cradled in my arms, who smiles, who laughs, who....breathes.
My friend Kendra Webster lost her daughter. On December 13, 2009, Mackenzie Rye Webster took her last breath. It was 12 days before Christmas and she wasn't 5 months old. Kendra's pregnancy was normal, she had a good delivery, she took her daughter home. After a few months, it became a concern when MRW wasn't gaining weight and had difficulty breathing. Despite a heart valve surgery, Mackenzie's health wasn't improving. She would arch her back in pain, she still wasn't eating well, and she started having blue spells. In November, with much frustration and confusion, Kendra took her daughter to the hospital, and a few weeks later, Kendra left without her.
Like my daughter, Mackenzie loved to be cradled in her mother's arms. She was a beautiful little girl, with a bright smile and dancing eyes. But, MRW couldn't breathe. She was battling a rare neuromuscular disease called SMA-RD (Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress). It's a disease that causes weakness in the muscles due to nerve loss in the spinal cord. It affects all of the muscles in the body, including the diaphram, and it's a terminal disease. Currently, there is no known treatment or cure.
Kendra asked me to blog today about SMA to create awareness about the disease, along with many of her other friends. Today, we are all posting information on our blogs about this disease that robs young mothers the opportunity to have those things so many of us take for granted...thumbled fingers learning to tie shoelaces, pee on the toilet seat, the ability to breathe.
To learn more about SMA and the innocent babies it takes from the arms of their loving mothers, visit the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation at http://gwendolynstrongfoundation.org/ and VOTE or watch http://www.youtube.com/gsfoundation.
And then I catch myself.
I have a daughter. I have a daughter who pees. I have a daughter who pees on toilet seats, who loves to be cradled in my arms, who smiles, who laughs, who....breathes.
My friend Kendra Webster lost her daughter. On December 13, 2009, Mackenzie Rye Webster took her last breath. It was 12 days before Christmas and she wasn't 5 months old. Kendra's pregnancy was normal, she had a good delivery, she took her daughter home. After a few months, it became a concern when MRW wasn't gaining weight and had difficulty breathing. Despite a heart valve surgery, Mackenzie's health wasn't improving. She would arch her back in pain, she still wasn't eating well, and she started having blue spells. In November, with much frustration and confusion, Kendra took her daughter to the hospital, and a few weeks later, Kendra left without her.
Like my daughter, Mackenzie loved to be cradled in her mother's arms. She was a beautiful little girl, with a bright smile and dancing eyes. But, MRW couldn't breathe. She was battling a rare neuromuscular disease called SMA-RD (Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress). It's a disease that causes weakness in the muscles due to nerve loss in the spinal cord. It affects all of the muscles in the body, including the diaphram, and it's a terminal disease. Currently, there is no known treatment or cure.
Kendra asked me to blog today about SMA to create awareness about the disease, along with many of her other friends. Today, we are all posting information on our blogs about this disease that robs young mothers the opportunity to have those things so many of us take for granted...thumbled fingers learning to tie shoelaces, pee on the toilet seat, the ability to breathe.
To learn more about SMA and the innocent babies it takes from the arms of their loving mothers, visit the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation at http://gwendolynstrongfoundation.org/ and VOTE or watch http://www.youtube.com/gsfoundation.
1 comment:
Thank you so much for being part of the SMA BLOG PARTY. This is a beautiful post. Voting can be done every day until the end of Sept. at http://VoteForSMA.com
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