I feel paralyzed. Instead of prepping for my meeting shortly, I'm blogging because I don't know any other way to get rid of this feeling. Sadness. Dread. Grief. I'm choking back tears as I type. None of my "real world" friends knew Maddie. Heck, I didn't know Maddie until I heard through the Silicon Valley Moms grapevine that she had passed away. Maddie was the daughter of a fellow mom blogger over at LA Moms Blog. One look at the piercing blue eyes and two-tooth smile is enough to melt your heart. My own 11-month old has that same sparkle in her eyes and glimmer of teeth.
VRP is different, though. She was born on time and healthy. Maddie was born 11 weeks premature and spent 68 days in the hospital before going home. Her parents, Heather and Mike Spohr, have been in and out of the hospital since then. That is until last night when Maddie lost her fight.
There has been an outpouring of cyber support for Maddie's parents. I'd link to Heather's blog but it's down, likely due to the flood of people trying to let her know she's got a friend. So, while those moms on Oprah are busy complaining, I'm going to take a moment today to really appreciate my kids and hope my worst fears never, ever materialize. Yes, motherhood is tough. Yes, you lose a part of yourself the moment you have children. But, you also gain so much and once it's gone I imagine it leaves a permanent hole in your heart.
Heather was supposed to participate in the March of Dimes walk later this month. I hope my donation might help another mom from ever having to deal with this terrible pain. Here's a link to Heather's walk page if you'd like to help too.
UPDATE: This is from Meghan's blog, A Mom Two Boys.
A PayPal Account has been set up to assist Heather and Mike with any upcoming expenses. You can donate by sending money, via PayPal to formaddie@hotmomreviews.com. All money received will go directly to them to be used at their discretion.
Comments