Circle of Trust

Today is my daughter Fiona’s 10th birthday. You wouldn’t know it if you saw Fiona today, but she had quite the struggle when she was a baby.

My wife Mary and I got married in our mid-20s and never really planned on when we would have kids. A few years went by, and as our friends and coworkers were getting pregnant, my first thought was one of jealousy versus happiness. My wife and I eventually ended up seeking treatment and utilized in vitro, which provided our first born to us. The birth of our son Timmy went off without many complications, and my M and I felt so fortunate to have our first child.
Two years later we did another round of in vitro and ended up successfully getting pregnant again. This time however, complications arose. At 12 weeks, my M started bleeding and we had to go to the ER. The nurse told us we would likely lose our child, which was extremely hard to process. The baby persevered through that set back. A few months later, more problems manifested. Mary ended up getting put on bed rest and eventually admitted to the hospital. She spent a month there until our daughter Fiona was born 3 months premature at 26 weeks. Fiona spent 7 long weeks in the NICU. Throughout our time in the NICU, we witnessed families whose outcome weren’t as positive as ours. Several of the babies didn’t end up making it, and others that did and were ready to be discharged didn’t have anyone there to take them home as the parents had skipped town. Eventually Fiona got strong enough for us to take her home. If you see Fiona today, you wouldn’t have any idea she was 3 months premature.

My takeaway from this? Grab someone you love, give them a big hug, and tell them how much you love and appreciate them.