Where was I one month ago? Hmmm, mid-January. I suppose if I look back at my calendar I could probably figure it out.
Where were you?
This past Saturday (Feb. 11, 2012) our family went to the FSMA Illinois Chapter Meet & Greet. We went to meet other SMA families.
What we found there was so much more.
Dedication and love. We met with other families affected by SMA, we met with children who have SMA, we met with adults who have SMA, we met with people who have dedicated their careers to helping those with SMA. It was incredible.
Among all of these people there was one that stood out to me. I never actually met her yet I was touched (to say the least) by what she said during our lunch together as we all crammed into the adjoining conference rooms; she was in the room next to ours, separated by a large window and a door.
Her child died one month ago from SMA. Her tearful eyes shared her grief as she spoke; she was consoled lovingly by a man standing next to her, holding her shoulder as he shed tears.
One month ago her loss occurred and here she sits...with a roomful of people--probably many of whom she didn't know. She could have easily and blamelessly stayed at home this day. She did not. She came out in the bitter cold and met with people who still have their children; who still fight SMA. By being there she still fights SMA...despite her loss. She brought herself to a place filled with pictures of gorgeous children all fighting Spinal Muscular Atrophy in their own heroic ways. She placed herself in a roomful of people and let her vulnerability be known; trusting strangers with her thoughts, emotions, and heartache.
The room fell silent amidst her sharing. Waves of emotion passed through the door and the glass partition which separated the two rooms yet could not separate the people within the rooms. The tears of this mother and her companion spoke to every heart present there that day. Her bravery to be there, for whatever reasons she had, is a testimony to the love she has for her baby.
Just one month ago.
