Memorial

 Memorial. The name given to this child. She was born at 33 weeks via c-section. Her mother came to the hospital very sick with breathing difficulty. The mother was taken to the OR for cesarean delivery with the hope that the delivery of the baby would help with her breathing... but it didn't help much. 

One day after surgery, we found her breast mass, and found that her breathing problems were likely metastatic breast cancer. She was 33 years old. She has a husband and two other daughters ages 5 and 3. This was an emotional time for all of us, especially the family. Through the act of grace and the help of many, we were able to bring the new son, Memorial, to see his mother from the NICU to the ICU on CPAP. He was able to be held by her. We were able to get a picture for the family of this sweet family. Later that night, the nurses told me that the mother said, "that was the best gift she had had in her life. She could die in peace now." 

That afternoon, I found out that one of my co-workers at the hospital had a similar experience. Her mother had died a few days after she was born. She told me she spent her whole life wondering what her mother was like and if she loved her. She told me that seeing the interaction with this mother and this neonate, was like healing salve to her wounded heart. She saw this mother's smile and felt her own mother's love through it all.

Two days later, the mother died. 

Life here is full of challenges, sadness, grief and loss. Some days, it feels like too much. Some days, I feel like there is nothing I can do to fix it. Today I realized I cannot fix the pain or the problem, but I can choose to stay in it, and enter the pain with those around me. I can try to bring a small light into the darkness. For It is in the dark, not the light, that a candle shines the brightest.” — Matshona Dhliwayo 

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4-9)