They say things happen and people get connected for a reason, but you may never realize until years later. Well, that’s how our connection with SG was established, and we are beyond grateful for it.
Stepping back, we have always believed that the most critical thing you could ask for when expecting a child is that they are healthy. Forget desired gender, forget timing, you just want a healthy kiddo. Well while we were pregnant with our second child (Ella), we got spooked relative to this priority when at 27 weeks, we learned that a close friend who lost their baby to a miscarriage at 28 weeks and another friend who had preeclampsia at 30 weeks and had to have an emergency delivery.
This crazy set of events made us want to get some additional ultrasounds/scans for peace of mind, but during these visits we identified that Ella was measuring small and had an abnormality in her brain. At the time, there was not much we could do, and had the unenviable task of trying not to project what an abnormality in the brain could lead to once she was born.
We monitored her situation and thankfully Ella was born healthy and proportional, albeit small.
However, throughout her first year, we noticed that she was behind on her developmental milestones, so as we entered our one year check in with the neurosurgeon, we had to ask if the abnormalities could be causing this, and that’s when they informed us that they found abnormalities in her white matter. It hit us like a ton of bricks. We cried and we projected, and we cried some more. The neurologists told us to prepare for a long road ahead.
But this is where our village and SG came in to provide us hope and support, which has meant more than we could imagine and has helped to provide some additional bit of perspective of what a meaningful life is about. It’s about your relationships, caring for people, and sharing experiences. Relationships formed years ago led us to SG, and we both feel there was something divine about why our paths crossed when they did.
We are so grateful for SG because they are helping us to continue finding an answer for what Ella is experiencing. They are enabling us to take advantage of the unique opportunity to meet with white matter clinic at Children’s Healthcare of Philadelphia, which is the top program in the world for this condition. The act of reaching out and providing a helpful hand has candidly been more meaningful than the financial gift, but as a wise person once told me, when you encounter something like this and people offer help, embrace it because it is meaningful and therapeutic for both the giver and receiver. So, thank you SG…and you’re welcome 😉 !
You are helping us to work with the best to figure out what’s going on with Ella and what we can do for our sweet girl.
Gift: Travel and medical expenses
Location: Fulton County
Given: February 2023