One of the most beautiful moments on this earth is the birth of a child.
For the first time, I became a grandpa. I had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. I might hardly describe the joy I might feel. Usually I manage to bottle up my emotions. This is the reason why we should never trust appearances.
A few days ago, my daughter Carole-Anne informed me that her waters had burst and that inevitably, the birth was imminent. I become feverish, I can’t wait to live this moment. In the evening, she confirms that everything is going well. She finds herself in a hospital not far from Barre, Vermont, an area where she has been working for two years now. She even speaks of the great kindness of the staff, herself a nurse in everyday life.
I’m going to bed the mind calm and I’m already looking forward to waking up. The next morning, I hasten to look at my messages. On our family group, Carole-Anne indicates that Charlotte was born but nothing more. Curious as a missive for such a wonderful moment.
I was going to understand a few minutes later.
This birth was a disaster. Last minute complications so that she might not give birth normally. We even had to forcefully remove the baby from a most uncomfortable grip so that Charlotte wasn’t breathing when she came out of her mother’s womb.
Rushed to Albany, New York, Charlotte struggled.
INTUBED CHARLOTTE
You can imagine the panic that might reign on the spot, both among the parents and the medical staff. Immediately, Charlotte was intubated. A heap of threads around this little body which was making its entrance into the world of humans. We quickly realized the seriousness of the situation and decided to transfer her to a specialized hospital located in Albany, New York, a three-hour journey by ambulance.
Many questions ran through my head without being able to get answers. I collapsed in grief. What might have happened? I looked up to the sky and prayed.
The next morning, my daughter and her husband Patrice Hogue decided to join Charlotte in Albany. Imagine, a few hours following giving birth, you jump in your car to take a three-hour trip! Unbelievable. She would also pay the price a few hours later.
Then, gradually, the news turned positive. The liver and kidneys were responding to demand. We decided to remove the artificial respirator since she managed to fill her little lungs on her own.
Only the brain remained. You had to wait three days to undergo an MRI. During this time, we had to keep it cold to give it an extra chance of limiting the damage.
TEARS IN THE EYES
I had tears in my eyes several times during these days. What a warrior, what a fighter! I was amazed by his strength, his power, his determination to want to live, to fight and not to give up. It seemed to me that I had a lesson to take away from this moment.
Now ready to face life.
Carole-Anne and Patrice have received the results of the MRI. Miraculously, the little one would not keep any sequelae. A relief for all of us and especially Charlotte.
Then, two days later, it was Carole-Anne’s turn to go under the knife. The wound caused by Charlotte’s birth had opened. The damage had to be repaired. What an endless saga!
A long-awaited moment, the return home.
As I know myself, I felt the need to make a concrete gesture to honor the determination and the arrival of Charlotte, to pay tribute to her, I decided to dedicate my 103e marathon in Warwick on July 10.
I love you, Charlotte, Carole-Anne and Patrice!
Patrice, Carole-Anne and Charlotte had to go through disturbing and emotionally very difficult times.
