Our son Theo was born on January 15, 2006. His trisomy 13 was not picked up by prenatal ultrasound, so it was a shock to discover about an hour after his birth that he had such a severe condition. He lived for five hours, surrounded by loving family, then very peacefully died in my arms. The beauty he brought in his short life is indescribable, and while we are heartbroken that he left so soon, we feel extremely grateful that he came along at all, and honored that he chose us to be his parents.
I was 35 when I got pregnant and knew that extensive prenatal testing was recommended for my age group. Luckily, we decided against it and never had to face what must be a very difficult decision for parents who find out negative results early on. I don't know what I would have done, I certainly didn't have any idea what enormous blessings could lie in such a "tragedy," nor was I aware of the courage I now know I have. I am just extremely thankful that Theo made it to birth against the odds and touched us so deeply. He brought so much love, it will burn in my heart for the rest of my life.
Such a mysterious journey, this loss, this gain, has been. As a priest friend of the family wrote to me, "God works wonders without our knowledge."