Cute family, huh? Brothers and sister are all smiles, and it doesn’t look like they’re forced. They are. That little kid in the middle with all the tubes is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He was born two days before this photo was taken.
But someone’s missing. Yes, his mother. She died the day before of toxemia. She was 40, and this was her fourth child. We were married almost 23 years.
Suddenly I was a single parent with children from 19 to -0 – he was eleven weeks premature.
He stayed in the NICU and nursery for a month. He came home on our anniversary. I think the medical team planned that.
I never truly had time to grieve. Every day I made the hour plus trip to the NICU to visit. Then I came home to fix dinner, clean house, do laundry, and if I had time actually go to work.
The little community of Thibodaux, Louisiana saved my life. They came together and provided a network of love and support. I am eternally grateful to them.
I was so anxious for Graham to come home so we could start being a family again. He weighed four pounds, and I thought I was out of my mind thinking I could be a mother and a father. I gave it my best shot.
Long story short, he survived and thrived. This is his Eagle Scout portrait.