I remember being in the NICU with Gianna and someone mentioned, in passing, how high the divorce statistics were after losing a child. Perhaps this was an untimely comment, but it stuck with me.
That happened almost immediately after Dave and I were in the hospital recovery room when we were told Gianna would most likely not survive. We were talking about end of life decisions for her and in complete shock. I had walked into the hospital the day before expecting to walk out with a baby in my arms. It seemed so overwhelming; the entire scenario was almost incomprehensible. That is when my husband reached for my hand, bruised from so many IV’s, and told me, “This WILL NOT bring us apart. We will not let it destroy our marriage or us. We are in this together.” It was in that moment I felt the deepest, most profound gratitude to the good God in Heaven that he brought me this man. In my saddest and darkest time, he reached out to be my rock, my guide, and my light, despite his own sadness and darkness. He wasn’t going to allow the stress and adversity of this situation to chip away at the foundation of our relationship. And during such a tumultuous time, he knew we needed to stay more united than ever. Thank goodness he had the clarity to see this need, because my mind was clouded by the physical pain from my C-section and from the emotional pain of Gianna’s situation. [Read more…]