Day 20: Will as a source of strength for deena

#96days96ways #day20

I was especially touched by Will’s strength when I was in the hospital on bed rest with Leila and was following your babies through friends and your posts.  I remember learning Caroline had gotten to go home but Will was still in the hospital.  At that time, I was given the incredible gift of time.  Being in the hospital and away from all my responsibilities to my family and work, for the first time, I could really focus on my devotionals and in prayer without any distraction.  Whenever I began to get upset about my situation or worried about my husband dealing with the two older kids at home, I drew so much strength from Will and the situation you were all in.  You all were also split amongst your own family between the house and the hospital and Will’s fight kept you all going- and it kept us going as well.  Without ever meeting Will, I felt as if he were so close to me during that time, as he was such a big part of my thoughts and prayers and became such a source of strength for me.

I remember briefly texting with you after Leila was born when we were in the NICU but before Will’s condition took a turn.  In my heart, I felt so close to Will, knowing he was ALIVE and fighting for every bit of his little life somewhere in the same hospital as I was with my baby.  I envisioned play dates and stories for years to come of all the babies in the hospital at the same time(there were so many of us at that time!).  When Will passed away, we were still in the NICU and it all felt so surreal. Still grieving the loss of another baby boy so close to us, I just couldn’t believe it was happing again to another family we knew, within the same hospital walls I was sitting in watching my own baby get stronger.  In the days the followed, I continued to pray continually for you all and for all of us “left behind” to feel Will’s presence always...to feel his strength in our weakest moments.  In the weeks that followed, we were close to leaving the NICU and I ran into another family I knew who had a daughter in the PICU.  I later learned their daughter was next door to Will.  Months after both of our babies came home, we continue to talk about Will and the strength they felt from him, without ever knowing you all.  They too, found their way to Will’s story on Instagram and have followed your journey.  It was clear they too will never forget Will’s strength and his memory will continue to live on through all the many who knew him, and the strangers whose path he crossed and path he changed.  ​

Thank you so much for sharing so much with all of us!

Love,
Deena