Sean Michael Cole
June 16, 1996 ~ June 19, 1996
9 lbs 8 oz, 21 1/2 inches long

The picture above of Sean was taken at 3 1/2 days old as I held him in my arms ...
this was the first time I got to see him without tubes attached to him, and only the second time I got to hold him.
After life support was removed, he survived for 45 minutes.
The red mark on his forehead was made by him not being able to pass completly thru the birth canal.

Sean suffered brain damage due to loss of oxygen for approximately 8-14 minutes during my labor.
Though my pregnancy was a normal and healthy one, ultimately, the complications caused by a condition called
*Shoulder Dystocia* during the final moments of my labor, claimed my son's life.

I will love you forever and ever, til my last breath and beyond.

Always, Your Mommy

To read more about Sean, click the snowglobe

"A Pair of Shoes"

I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes.
Uncomfortable shoes.
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes.
They are looks of sympathy.
I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.
I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.
There are many pairs in this world.
Some woman are like me and ache daily as they try and walk in them.
Some have learned how to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much.
Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think about how much they hurt.
No woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.
These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.

Author unknown

page updated 15Oct07