Ode to my Mom

     I included this song in my blog 2 years ago when I was learning to run the first time.  This is not a political post.  This is not me preaching my views, because I don't feel I have a right to do that - to influence others' choices.  I only have the right to make (and believe in) my own.  I want to share this story again.

The story of the choice my mom made. 

      This is a song by Mark Schultz.  It's about a family who hears from their doctor that the baby they are expecting will have birth defects.  The doctor gives them their options, including terminating the pregnancy to save themselves and the baby from a lot of suffering and torment.  I remember bursting into tears when I heard this song the first time, because my mom was faced with this choice - with me.  They told her I would likely not survive delivery, because of her "old" age at 42.  They told her if I did, I would likely be a Down Syndrome baby and would be lucky to live past teen years.  My mom chose to love me and give me life.  The chorus of this song says it all:

I wanna give her the world
I wanna hold her hand
I wanna be her mom for as long as I can
And I wanna live every moment until that day comes
I wanna show her what it means to be loved...

     When I hear that, I know that my mom gave me the best gift ever before I was born.  She chose to love me, to let me live.  And it makes me want to live better.   Do me a favor.  Listen to the song.   I have included a YouTube video of this song below. Check it out. 

And this is an article where Mark talks about writing this song:
http://www.cmspin.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=5648&z=26

Ok, and I can't resist.  Here are all the lyrics, in case you don't want to listen, or want to read while you listen:

For five months eight days
My wife and I had waited
Getting ready for our baby girl
But when he called the doctor said, “I need to see you”
And “Could you come in soon”
Something died inside of me to sit with him and hear
A test had said our baby may not live to be a year
And turning to my wife he said
What do you wanna do
She said…

I wanna give her the world
I wanna hold her hand
I wanna be her mom for as long as I can
I wanna live every moment, until that day comes
I wanna show her what it means to be loved…

So we spent each day, watchin' every minute
And prayin' for our baby girl
And I will not forget the way I felt that moment
When she came into this world
But they took her from the room just as soon as she was born
And watchin' through a window I could see her holdin' on
When a voice inside me said...

I wanna give her the world
I wanna be her dad
I wanna hold her close for as long as I can
and I wanna live every moment until that day comes
I wanna show her what it means to be loved...

Well ever since the day
We got to bring her home
She’s been out to prove the doctors wrong
You should see her now
She’s as pretty as her mom
And there’s a boy at the front door waiting just to take her to her high school prom

And he wants to give her the world
Wants to hold her hand 

And someday she may get a wedding band
But she's gonna live every moment until that day comes
We're gonna show her what it means to be loved.

    Having lost 2 babies to miscarriage, I can't imagine not loving any baby - for as little or as much time as we have.  We only had weeks with those babies only inside, and we loved them so much already.  We now have a beautiful baby, and yes, it would have been hard to face a life full of those kind of challenges.  But we would have chosen to take them on.  Mark Schultz, himself, is adopted and said that his biological mom gave him the best gift ever.  She gave him life - and then to top it off - gave him a great family.  It's a hard choice to make.  I can't imagine how hard it is, but I deserved to be loved and was. . .they all do, too.

Dedicated to my wonderful mom, and Jaime Vanchura.  Jaime is a mom of 4 and she and her husband are currently pursuing the adoption of a special needs child, so that they can give that child life and love.