Luke should have been born today.
Dear friends of ours, after a great deal of time spent hoping to be blessed with a child, found out they were finally expecting, and due August 23rd. The news was shared, and joyful preparations were made. An ultrasound confirmed that it was a boy, and Luke’s name was chosen (though kept secret from even his parents’ closest friends!)
On July 11th, six weeks before his due date, Luke’s Mommy noticed that he wasn’t as active as he had been, and subsequent testing showed that he was in distress. He was born via emergency C-section (at a fighting weight of 6 lbs, 3 oz), and whisked away for observations. Later in the day, his parents received the devastating news that Luke had suffered from a very rare, spontaneous in-utero condition where the blood flow reversed and went from baby to mom, with fatal consequences. This tragedy was not foreseeable, or preventable.
After blessing his grandparents and aunts and uncles with time to meet him, Luke passed away on July 12th, 2011.
It’s not right, and it’s not fair. Not that two warm, smart, generous, loving people, the best parents a child could ask for, don’t get to bring home the baby they were expecting. Unfortunately, we are not granted the privilege of understanding why.
Luke’s Mommy naturally struggles with the “what-ifs”. I’m sure you can join me in reassuring her that, while we would all question ourselves just as she does (guilt is a requirement of joining the mommy club, of which my friend is now a member) we all know that she couldn’t have handled things any differently. In fact, I feel that she was gifted with a special awareness of her own body that day which allowed her to meet her son, as doctors have told them that babies with this condition are usually stillborn, their problem rarely caught in time to bring them into the world alive.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5
I truly believe that prayers for Luke’s perfect little soul are unnecessary, and that he saw heaven in the moment of his final breath. I do ask, though, that you pray for Luke’s strong and brave Mommy and Daddy, that they may continue to forge ahead through the darkness of the night, and that the morning will bring them unimaginable joy.
how tragic. Praying for Luke's mommy & daddy for sure.
Even though they are strangers, my heart is breaking for Lukes parents and their circle of family & friends. I pray they are blessed with a healthy child if they decided to try again.
I'm so sorry for your friends… I will pray for Luke's parents for strength and peace.
Praying for Luke's parents – that is heartbreaking. I cannot imagine the loss of a child like that.
Praise the angels that gave Luke's mommy the maternal instinct/intuition to listen to and be in touch with her body and her son. The story is tragic, but it would have been even more so if they hadn't gotten to ever meet their precious baby. My thoughts and prayers are with them tonight.
This story pulled at my heart strings…I shed a few tears…thanks for reminding me how blessed I am to have my 2 wonderful daughters and that the "bad" day I was having prior to reading your blog was totally put into perspective!
Krista S
I'm so sorry to hear of your friend's loss.. I couldn't help but shed some tears for them, and little Luke.
My prayers are with this family.
Heartbreaking to read. May Luke's parents find strength and love in their hearts and from family and friends. I don't often cry while sitting at the computer but this one brought tears to my eyes. Blessing and peace to the family. As my Dr. told me when we lost our baby at 4 months "this was determined the day the baby was conceived. This one was not meant to be." Not an easy explanation to grasp, but with most health problems these things are beyond our control. There was nothing more your friend could do. Does not help the pain, but getting to meet him at least for that brief time was some closure.
I'm so sorry for their loss…
Oh no, that is just heartbreaking. I am so sorry. They must be in so much pain. I have always said that the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to anyone is to lose a child. It is something that all parents fear.
I truly hope they can heal from this tragic loss. I that they don't think about what if…easier said than done sometimes but obviously, no one was at fault in any way.
Unfortunately, devastating things happen every day and we have little control over some things such as this. It is a very tough thing to go through and I will keep them in my prayers that they are given strength to cope with such an enormous loss.
I am so sorry for your friends loss. Indeed your friends were blessed to have met Luke. Sending prayers their way.