An Amazing Day

I think it is safe to say that I have had one of the most amazing days since May 31, 2011! We have been trying for quite some time to get an article written in our local newspaper. Well, today was the day! We had our interview with one of the reporters. When we first left the house, I was feeling very nervous, excited, felt the anxiety creeping in. Anyone who knows me well enough, knows that I don't do too well when it comes to talking to strangers. Once Angel got the ball rolling, it was like I just couldn't stop! There were several times when I caught myself choking up. I reminded myself to take a deep breath. While doing so, Angel would take his turn talking. That gave me the few seconds that I needed. I'm not the type of person to sit there and cry in front of people, unless they are family or close friends. After a couple minutes, I got back to talking. It didn't even feel as if it was me talking. It's hard to explain but it's almost like it was Sophia talking through me. What an amazing feeling! Javier was with us today (as he is still trying to get over pneumonia) and after a few short minutes, he started to get bored. Thankfully, the reporter allowed him to play "Angry Birds" on his cell phone and that kept him busy for awhile. Before he started playing, Angel asked him, "Javier, where is Sophia?" And Javier responded with his usual answer, "In Heaven". Angel then asked, "With who?" And he responded with another one of his typical answers, "With God". So I decided to chime in real quick and I asked him, "Well, what is she doing up there?" And he said, "I don't know! I can't see her. I have to see her to know what she is doing." He's just too cute. Before the interview really got under way, he was sitting at the table paging through Sophia's photo album saying, "That's my sister. That's my sister. That's my mom. That's me. That's Daddy!" And so on.

It felt so good to be able to sit down with someone who was taking notes about everything we have been through on our Journey with Sophia. As some of you may already know, I made my beautiful girl a promise before allowing the nurses to take Sophia away. I told her, "Baby Girl, I promise you that I'm going to spread awareness on this condition. I know God put you in my life because He knew I was strong enough to talk about this condition and openly talk about you! From here on out, this is my job!" And this is just the beginning. There are so many others places that I want to contact to see if they will run our story. So many people know about Spina Bifida. Nearly everyone in this world has heard of cancer in one form or another. But once you come out with the word, "Anencephaly", no one has ever heard of it. So now I take the first step forward in a new journey... the journey of spreading awareness! This is so important to us. We would really hate to see another family go through what us, and many others across the globe, have gone through. It is not an easy journey. It is one that no parent should ever have to face.

Our story should be posted on The News-Item website on Saturday or Sunday. I can't wait to see it in black & white. Oh how I wish I could get this amazing story of life and love posted all over the world, in every newspaper, in every language, in every country.

Thus far, we have helped one family make a tough decision. They live in Spain. And thanks to me creating this blog, this family decided to carry their son to term. He was also diagnosed with the more rare form on Anencephaly, called Iniencephaly. Just helping one family, through our words and through our feelings, makes me feel so much better inside. Through this page, we were able to give one more baby a fighting chance at life. Doctors say that most babies with Anencephaly will not survive any more then a few minutes to a few hours after birth. I know of a few who have defied those odds. Vitoria just celebrated her 2nd birthday not too long ago. Andrew "Bumble" blessed his family with 10 wonderful days! Katie-girl has given her family 7+ months and counting! And just to think, most doctors won't even give our babies a second thought. They almost make it seem like an experiment gone wrong. Since the "experiment" didn't go according to planned, they no longer want to bother. If only those doctors would take a look at these amazing babies and see just how much they are able to do and how many lives they touch. Maybe then, they'll start doing things with a little more heart!