On May 24, 2007, my husband and I joyfully discovered that our lives, as we currently knew, were never going to be the same. As those two little lines magically appeared on a pregnancy test, we were thrilled at the thought of becoming parents…
Like most soon-to-be parents, we started talking about names, decorating the nursery and dreaming about the day our little one was going to enter the world. We quickly spread our exciting news to family and friends.
Over the next couple of months, my pregnancy was smooth sailing. However, upon some routine tests, our doctor informed us that we neede to schedule an appointment for a high-resolution ultrasound.
On August 22, all our hopes and dreams of our precious little baby were shattered. We learned that our baby had anencephaly. This is a neural tube defect incompatible with life.
The doctors tried to assure us that he had no chance of survival and now was the time to do what was best for us. It was clear that the world encouraged termination because that would somehow make the issue go away.
However, we knew that God had a plan for our baby's life no matter how brief. At that appointment we also learned that we were having a boy and we immediately chose a name with significance.
His name would be Garrett Steven, Garrett in memory of my husband's mother, and Steven in memory of my father.In the following days and weeks, we searched for information on anencephaly because up until that day, we had never heard the word. We also began to ask why and sought help and support from family and friends.
We knew some people questioned why we were "prolonging our suffering"; but we knew that God would carry us through the suffering and make us stronger in the end. God was in control and out precious Garrett was a valuable life no matter how brief.
We treasured the months of pregnancy because we had been told that his life was going to be short. If God's plan called for Garrett's life to be brief, we prayed that we could have a few hours to get to know our little boy.
While we prayed for a miracle, we made arrangements for the best and the worst.
We finished Garrett's nursery and bought special outfits and blankets in anticipation of his arrival.
On January 15, 2008, Garrett Steven made his presence known to the world. He came in weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces and measured 17 inches long. He was a miracle in every way and he was alive! God answered our prayers and blessed us with three wonderful days to get to know our little boy. He met many family members…
We will forever remember the strength of his grip, the sound of his cry, the shape of his face and how he was and is the image of us both. He was a quiet fighter and we look forward to the day that he welcomes us into the heavenly kingdom!
Amazing little Garrett Steven lived a life that exceeded all our expectations.
The meanings of his name were truly achieved in Garrett's short, yet valuable, life. Garrett means "Free, Warrior", and Steven meants "Crowned, Blessed".
[Pro-Life Action News, April 2008]