Cheryl Haggard
12-04-2007, 12:59 PM
Subject: NILMDTS - thank you
Message: I am writing to say thank you, both to NILMDTS and to Lori Anderson in Knoxville, Tennessee. We found out our precious baby girl had Trisomy 13 back in February, and I discovered your site while viewing the livingwithtrisomy13.org site. Thank God I did, because even though we knew the prognosis for our Bella, we were totally unprepared for that routine ultrasound when the tech said "there's no heartbeat today." One of my first calls was to Lori, who I had been emailing back and forth with for several weeks, and had already come to view as a friend. She told me to keep her updated and call whenever I left for the hospital to deliver Bella's little body, whether it was middle of the night or not. She even read my blog on Caringbridge.org and called me to be sure I was doing okay - so much more than I would have ever expected from a photographer, but what I would have hoped for from a friend.
Because Bella had passed almost a week before I delivered her, she had started to deteriorate a bit. Lori took great care to tell us every detail about our baby's little body, because we were honestly afraid to unwrap her from her blankets. She described Bella's perfection, and caught so many aspects of it on film for us.
I said in one of my blog entries that NILMDTS is the physical manifestation of prayers that we parents don't even know we have prayed - a way to memorialized our child(ren),to honor them, to remember them in beauty, rather than sadness.
Although I wish no parent had ever had to go through this, or ever will have to go through this, I can't help but be greatful to Cheryl and Sandy for creating this wonderful organization. I asked that there be no flowers at our baby's funeral; rather that donations be made to NILMDTS, so that this work can continue, and other mother's and father's heartaches be eased by being able to look at the photographs and know what their child looked like, rather than speculate.
Thank you. So much. And thank you to Lori Anderson, for her kindness, compassion, and love.
Sandi and James Boyd
Knoxville, Tennessee
Message: I am writing to say thank you, both to NILMDTS and to Lori Anderson in Knoxville, Tennessee. We found out our precious baby girl had Trisomy 13 back in February, and I discovered your site while viewing the livingwithtrisomy13.org site. Thank God I did, because even though we knew the prognosis for our Bella, we were totally unprepared for that routine ultrasound when the tech said "there's no heartbeat today." One of my first calls was to Lori, who I had been emailing back and forth with for several weeks, and had already come to view as a friend. She told me to keep her updated and call whenever I left for the hospital to deliver Bella's little body, whether it was middle of the night or not. She even read my blog on Caringbridge.org and called me to be sure I was doing okay - so much more than I would have ever expected from a photographer, but what I would have hoped for from a friend.
Because Bella had passed almost a week before I delivered her, she had started to deteriorate a bit. Lori took great care to tell us every detail about our baby's little body, because we were honestly afraid to unwrap her from her blankets. She described Bella's perfection, and caught so many aspects of it on film for us.
I said in one of my blog entries that NILMDTS is the physical manifestation of prayers that we parents don't even know we have prayed - a way to memorialized our child(ren),to honor them, to remember them in beauty, rather than sadness.
Although I wish no parent had ever had to go through this, or ever will have to go through this, I can't help but be greatful to Cheryl and Sandy for creating this wonderful organization. I asked that there be no flowers at our baby's funeral; rather that donations be made to NILMDTS, so that this work can continue, and other mother's and father's heartaches be eased by being able to look at the photographs and know what their child looked like, rather than speculate.
Thank you. So much. And thank you to Lori Anderson, for her kindness, compassion, and love.
Sandi and James Boyd
Knoxville, Tennessee