My Sister...

This is a picture of me and my sister, my best friend, Jaime. Jaime and I are 13 months apart- I'm older. Growing up we didn't always get along, but I could always count on Jaime to be there for me. I always had someone to play with or fight with if that came about (Jaime and I NEVER fought, right Jaimers?).

Jaime is a super-mom. She has 2 beautiful little kids. Rori Rose who is 3, and Liam who is 1 and a half- he was born 3 months after Noah. She is a magnificant baker, and I'm hoping she will make me some more of those wonderful cinnamon rolls that she's making for her neighbors (hint, hint).

Jaime is one of the strongest and bravest people I know. Here's a story I'd like to share with you.

After my brain injury, Jaime announced she was pregnant. We were all very excited for her. I knew she was going to have a girl- don't ask me how, but I just knew.

About 10 weeks into her pregnancy, Jaime started to have complications. She kept having on and off bleeding. The doctor's kept checking her out and telling her she was fine. Eventually, though, Jaime was put on bedrest. Around 16 weeks, Jaime had an ultrasound, and was told there wasn't enough amniotic fluid for the baby. She was given her options- to terminate or carry on with her pregnancy. Jaime chose to carry on, I would have made the same decision. At 19 1/2 weeks, I called Jaime during my lunch period, and I don't remember all of our conversation, but I remember she told me she thought she was going to miscarry and I remember I was sobbing when I got off the phone. I let my boss know what was going on, and he knew how close I was to my family, and told me if I needed to take time off for anything not to worry about it.

When I got home that day, I went down to the basement- it was unfinished at the time, and just beat the crap out of my punching bag (I was having rage issues due to my brain injury). In my anger, I had forgotten to put on my punching gloves, and tore up my knuckles pretty good- I had to take off all my rings when I was done. I felt a little better.

That evening, my parents called and said that Jaime and Bill were on the way to the hospital- that Jaime had started to cramp and had a fever. It was January 14th. Ryan and I drove immediately up to the hospital. They wouldn't let us go in to see her because she already had 2 other people in the room, and they didn't tell her that we were in the waiting room. Eventually my dad came out to see if we had arrived- we had been there for over 2 hours waiting already, and he brought us back- he didn't care if we were breaking hospital policy.

Jaime had been told that she had an infection and was contracting. Decisions had to be made. We all prayed over Jaime, and then Ryan and I left to go get their dog and bring her to our house. We didn't know how long Jaime would be in the hospital. The next morning, my mom called and said that Jaime would probably deliver that morning and that the baby would not survive delivery. I called in sick to school, and drove up the hospital calling my friends' cell phones and leaving them messages to pray for Jaime.

I sat in the waiting room with my dad and Bill's family. Bill would come out to give us updates, and one time he stayed out catching his family up on everything- my mom came and let all of us know that Jaime had delivered. My dad, Bill and I went back to see Jaime. Her little girl was beautiful. I studied her, trying to commit her to memory- as I no longer had a very good one. I can still see what she looked like. We all cried. Jaime and Bill named her Faith (click Faith to read Faith's story).

That weekend we all went up to Jaime and Bill's house to stay there. We buried Faith on Monday. I was so angry at God because He allowed this to happen to Jaime. I've been angry at Him since that happened, and I mentioned to Jaime that I was still mad. She told me not to be anymore, because she had come to peace with everything. I'm not angry anymore.

A year after Jaime's miscarriage, I got the Kanji sign for Faith tattooed on my back. The Bible verse underneath it is Psalm 139:16.

"Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days you ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be".

I love you, Jaime, and I hope it's okay that I posted this.