In Loving Memory of Baby Ashley Grace
Grace, Mo, and Jaxon - and of course their puppy Roxy - were so excited in March when they could announce that their family would be growing "+1" in October of 2021! Then, when they learned a baby girl would be making an appearance, it was ALL OVER... Grace was delighted - out shopping for clothing- and generally nesting happily! She had lost two pregnancies prior to Jaxon - which she is pretty open about - but this newest and tiniest member of the "clan Anderson" was growing healthily and happily in her belly.
The pregnancy progressed normally with the exception of gestational diabetes which was well-controlled with diet. Unfortunately, however, in just week 25 of pregnancy, Grace went into spontaneous labor which the doctors were not able to control. She had to undergo a C-section: that is when Ashley Grace made her strong and mighty entrance into the world on July 15, 2021. It was a real struggle to have her in the NICU, but Grace and Mo were glad she was breathing a bit on her own and overall VERY strong for her gestational age at premature birth.
Things took a rather sudden turn for the worse.. Baby Ashley developed necrotizing enterocolitis and was rushed to UNC Chapel Hill. Tragically, there was nothing they could do to save her, and on July 22, 2021 - just one week after she joined us on the planet - Baby Ashley Grace passed away. Now, her poor mommy was faced with the reality of trying to heal from a C-section with NO baby, grieving the loss of her baby, and the multiple stark realities that come with an unthinkable situation like this.
Both Mo and Grace are relatively new in their positions and have very limited paid time off (<5 days each left due to the amount used to date), and they would also like to have Jaxon in some kind of child care for a bit of time as Grace physically heals and they process their grief. Likewise, Grace's mom Joanie can only stay with them for a short time to assist with child care and other tasks. Further, Grace cannot pursue official PTO until she receives post-C-section doctor clearance... Everything about this situation is NOT IDEAL.
Finally, although they are not sure yet how they would like to proceed, a portion of the funds raised will go toward funeral expenses for Baby Ashley. Needless to say, any little bit counts! Again, then, funds raised will be primarily used for living expenses since they will be without both incomes and Grace will be with no income - at least temporarily - including child care - and funeral planning and expenses. Thank you for your prayers for Baby Ashley and her earthly family that remains here with us.... Your generosity, kindness, and thoughtfulness is much appreciated!
“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same... nor would you want to.”
– Elisabeth Kübler-Ross