A Hurting Heart

It's hard to say how I have found my favorite blogs. About a year ago, I came across a blog with a photo of one of the most beautiful children I have ever seen. I am not kidding. I love my girls and think they are adorable. I love my friends' children and think they are all adorable too. But this little girl, what a beauty! The bluest blue eyes and candy apple cheeks that were probably squeezed by every old lady who encountered her. Her smile was so stinking cute, I couldn't stand it. Her mother and father both had blogs and I read them regularly. Essentially, I started reading a couple of blogs because of a breathtaking child. I think that is saying a lot since I don't get really mushy about other people's children--especially children I have never met.

This child, Maddie, was born very prematurely. Their blogs chronicled their lives with Maddie, including the medical challenges that Maddie faced. Over time, Mike stopped his blog because he became really busy with a new job, but I kept reading Heather's blog.

Yesterday, Heather wrote that Maddie had been taken to the hospital because she had been having respiratory problems all weekend and hadn't gotten better. Heather sent updates on Twitter throughout the afternoon. I got concerned when her last update was this:

"They're going to intubate her, I'm freaking out"

And then she was gone.

I can't even begin to fathom the enormity of Heather and Mike's grief. I cannot begin to imagine the feeling of drowning, the burning sadness, the aching in their hearts. Parents shouldn't outlive their children. Parents shouldn't outlive their babies.

Mike and Heather are very active in the March of Dimes and plan to be a part of an event at the end of the month. Please consider clicking on the widget below and sending a donation in Maddie's memory. It has been so good to see that there is considerably more than the $3000 that was pledged as of this morning.