Erika says it best though:
I know there have been questions as to why we decided to travel the path we are going down. So, I am going to put it in a scenario; different situation but same instincts. As a parent, a mother rather, it is my first instinct to protect my children. If, Harrison were sick and I mean really sick; diagnosed with cancer and it had spread into a stage four; and we had tried everything to beat the cancer but the chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrow transplants, and stem cell transplants were not working, the cancer had continued to grow. Would we ask the nurse to give him a bolus of potassium to end his life just because he is terminal? Absolutely not, we would love him, cherish him, and do everything in our powers to protect the time he had left with us and pray like hell.
Adalynne is no different, just because her life has only been inside of me doesn't discount the fact that she is still my little girl; our little girl. She was conceived out of love, wanted, celebrated. Her life matters to me and it matters to my husband, Harrison, Houston, and even our Jack Russel Chloe.
Adalynne has a terminal diagnosis and it sucks, but she is still here. I live everyday and relish her movement while I sustain her life. I used to have this "feature" on our computer that counted down the days until my due date. Since learning of her terminal diagnosis, knowing I sustain her precious life, I don't look at it anymore. I don't want to know how far along I am in her pregnancy. It is almost like a count down of how much time we have with her.
Am I in denial? No, but I know her due date is February 7, 2010. And when that day comes she will not leave the hospital. That is why living and relishing in her every movement is so vital to me getting through this journey.
I love my little girl so much. She has been to Playa del Carmen, graduated college with her mommy, passed state boards, coached two soccer teams, helped a family in need in Guatemala, witnessed the union of six amazing people, been to every Titan's home game, and brought true happiness to me and even broke a few hearts. She likes going to the movies, she turns into an acrobat; flipping this way and that. She does not like it if I sit with my knees tucked up, it makes her move like crazy, and as soon as I put my knees down she stops moving. It is her own little way of letting me know she is perturbed with her mommy's current position.
Erika may not know it, but her sharing her life's events will change the hearts of so many families. When she accepted that her child would not live for very long outside of her womb, she did the most courageous thing a mother could do, and sustained Adalynne's life as long as time allowed. She sacrificed her body for her child's.
When Ryan and I were getting a second opinion, in regards to Adalynne's condition, I felt like the entire medical team, involved in the second opinion, strongly agreed termination would be best for Adalynne. I thought it was strange that even the well respected doctor asked, "What are you going to say and how are you going to handle the grocery store outings when someone asks you about your baby?" Was he justifying that as a feasible reason to end some one's life? Did he think I was going to just speed up the inevitable, because a stranger's harmless question? Had that questionable scenario determined a quicker means to an end with mothers before me? But, what do you say?
I do not mind, and it does not bother me when people ask me when the baby is due. It does not make me sad. I am very genuine in my answers. Like I have said before, I love this little girl so much. She is my daughter and I am so proud to be her mom, and no question or condition will ever change that.
Please, keep this family in your prayers and share their Faith with others. I know that God is going to do miraculous things with Adalynne's legacy that she has left us.
I hope that Ryan and Erika remember that when they are at Mass and receive Jesus in the Eucharist, that they once again reunited with Adalynne through the Mystical Body of Christ. My friend Kristi gives a beautiful witness of this here. Kristi is just another person who fills this world with Faith, hope, and love.
Peace of Christ with you all,
Kim
AQUINAS COLLEGE HOSTS RENOWNED NFP SPEAKERS
Members of the Pontifical Academy for Life to speak on the “Culture of Life”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (December 28, 2009)—On January 27, 2010, Aquinas College will launch its spring-semester lecture series with the visit of two members of the Pontifical Academy for Life, who will speak on natural family planning. Dr. Maria del Pilar Calva Mercado, a medical doctor who teaches genetics and bioethics, and Mercedes A. Wilson, appointed by the late pontiff Holiness John Paul II as a founding member of the Pontifical Academy for Life in 1994, have organized and participated in various international bioethics congresses and United Nations conferences. Judith Leonard, director of the Office of Family Life and Natural Family Planning for the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, will also be speakin.
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is widely known in Catholic circles because it respects both the unitive and procreative purposes of marriage – a major ethical concern for Catholics. NFP is based on scientific research about women’s cycles of fertility and teaches couples to identify the fertile days in a woman's cycle so that pregnancy is avoided or achieved.
Since 1968, Mercedes A. Wilson has been teaching and promoting the Ovulation Method of Natural Family Planning, which is the most widely practiced method around the world. In 1986, she founded the World Organization for the Family, and in 1997 she established the Family of the Americas Foundation. At the request of Pope John Paul II, she organized 23 International Congresses for the Family in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Additionally, she has received three honorary doctorates and numerous awards for her work in the pro-life/family movement, most recently from Franciscan University at Steubenville.
“Mercedes Wilson has done the world a remarkable service in developing simple, clear NFP instruction that helps couples all over the world to be faithful to the Church’s teaching,” said Sister Mary Peter, O.P., president of Aquinas College. “The College is delighted to host someone who has had such an impressive influence on the establishment of a ‘culture of life.’”
Maria del Pilar Calva Mercado teaches genetics and bioethics and has been a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life since 2003. She serves on the Commission for the Family for the Bioethics Council of the Mexican Episcopal Commission and has written numerous articles and given international lectures on NFP.
“The Gift of Life vs. the Culture of Death” will be presented at St. Cecilia Academy Theatre at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 27. Reservations are recommended; please call (615) 383-3230 or visit www.aquinascollege.edu for more information.
ABOUT AQUINAS COLLEGE: Through a rigorous undergraduate curriculum that emphasizes the dignity of the human person, Aquinas College fosters the intellectual, moral, and professional development of students while preparing them for careers in the professions of education, nursing, and business. Faculty and students engage in a proactive teaching-advising partnership that enables students to cultivate rich interpersonal relationships in a Christ-centered, family-like environment. Personalized instruction in small classes ensures that each student achieves his or her full academic and personal potential. Founded in 1961 by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, Aquinas College is located on a scenic 83-acre campus in the heart of Nashville and is the only four-year Catholic liberal arts college in middle and east Tennessee. For additional information, please visit www.aquinascollege.edu.
In Christ,
Kim
Prayer
Amen.
