Monday, October 5

The Value of Talia's Life

Before posting the videos of Talia's Burial and Thanksgiving Services (tomorrow I hope), it is important to share some thoughts on the immense value of our little Talia's life.

When we learned about Talia having Trisomy 18 early in Jan's pregnancy, we were devastated and faced with a decision no parent should ever have to make - whether to terminate Talia's life or give her a chance to live.

Living upon the foundation of God's Word made this decision easy, although we recognise sometimes such a decision is not so easy for people. We had to give Talia the chance to live, despite knowing the chances were not high that she would survive after birth.

It was such a sad reflection on the medical staff to determine our baby was "incompatible with life" and advise us to terminate her life. One of the primary reasons was supposedly for our benefit, since going ahead would be (and was!) a very difficult thing to undergo for both of us - especially for Jan. There is no doubt that Jan struggled with carrying a baby which may not be born, and may not live for a long time - it was heartbreaking.

However, we did learn to take joy from our baby growing and moving and then experienced the immense joy of becoming parents for the first time. Seeing Talia born (though not easy given the additional complications) was the greatest experience of my life. Spending time learning to love her and caring for her through the challenges was more valuable than anything I have ever done.

I can even say that the experience of her leaving us to be with Jesus has profoundly changed my life for the better, since Jan and I did everything we could possibly do to give Talia the chance for life - not only medically, but also interceding on her behalf for God to heal her body.

During the 19 days Talia lived, she (and those around her) influenced so many lives for the better. The 180 or so people at her Thanksgiving Service were a testimony to the value of her little life, and the stories continue to come to us of how many lives have been changed because Talia lived on earth.

We have searched the internet and read of so many parents who were told to terminate their babies with genetic issues, as though there were no other options. Almost without exception, these people deeply regret this decision and can never get over the fact they ended the life of their child. Just read their stories!

However, we have seen that those who gave their babies a chance at life (even if their baby was still-born) have no regrets, since they did all they could.

Jan and I will never regret bringing Talia into this world, no matter how brief her life was. We loved unconditionally and were loved in return. We were parents and still are parents - our child is waiting for us to join her in the arms of Jesus.

1 comment:

  1. Cedar WarrenOctober 05, 2009

    Such a beautiful post Jeremy & so True All you have said about the Value of Talia's life... God bless you & Jan, luv Cedar

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