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Sunday,
April 4, 2004
The
Post-Crescent
Reprinted with
permission
A dark day:
Sadly, not every story ends happily ever after
No matter how hard we try, some
stories don’t have happy endings.
Writers — if I may be so
bold as to include myself in that category — often try to end sad tales
with evidence of light at the end of the tunnel, proof of the enduring human
spirit.
I did just that two weeks ago,
when I borrowed this space for a column on the impact my late son, Patrick,
had on my family and me during his 23-minute life.
I ended on a happy note: News of
our expected new arrival. Life after death.
And the column included an
invitation for readers with similar stories to share them with me and, in
turn, all of you.
My wife, Elise, and I were
overwhelmed by the response. About 200 readers weighed in with in-person
comments, phone calls, e-mails and letters.
Some who contacted me were
parents or grandparents of babies who, like Patrick, died from Potter’s
Syndrome. Others had lost children at birth or shortly thereafter from a
variety of circumstances.
These stories were so powerful that
The Post-Crescent has picked a date, April 18, to publish several in
our Life & Style section. We’ll accept others for consideration
until April 9.
As one person dryly remarked to
me, perhaps this is journalistic group therapy. Many of these stories do not
have happy endings. But all of them show strength, grace and the ability of
the authors to accept the hand they were dealt.
They, in turn, have helped me
deal with what I must now report: Elise and I learned Wednesday the baby she
carried for more than 15 weeks has passed away.
This is quite a blow, given the
news of our impending arrival was what first motivated me to put into words
my feelings about Patrick’s death.
Now Elise and I have another loss
to ponder and put into perspective.
The ending of our story,
unfortunately, has changed.
But, thanks to many of you, our
faith and optimism remains constant.
To read the
original column from March 21, click here.
More
information about Patrick’s brief life can also be found by clicking here.
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