A Sweet Baby's Journey

Magdalena Grace Roberts. I have never met her nor have I ever met her parents, and she was only 5 months, 1 week old today. To be so young and so little, her story has been one that has affected me and many other people. I first learned of Magdalena when she was in her mommy's belly. When Magdalena's mother, Julie, was 22 weeks pregnant, Julie and her husband, Noah, learned that they would be having a little girl, but the healthy, little girl they hoped for would be a little girl with a terminal chromosomal abnormality, Trisomy 18. Julie's sister is in my Sunday School class and Bunko group, and Julie's due date was 2 weeks after mine, so I quickly became engrossed in Magdalena's journey into the world.

I hoped that Julie and Noah would be able to spend at least one day with Magdalena, and they did. I hoped that they would be able to spend Christmas with her, and they did. I hoped Magdalena would beat all the odds and be one of the less than 5% of Trisomy 18 babies who make it to their first birthday, but Magdalena did not. This morning, Magdalena went to be with Jesus. Her short life was one that brought many people, including me, into a greater faith in Jesus Christ, and her parents were so gracious to share her sweet story with so many people. I've had their blog link on the side of my blog for a while now, and I imagine some of you have been following her story at http://noahandjulieroberts.blogspot.com/. If you haven't read Magdalena's story, you need to right now! Beginat May 2008.

My heart breaks for Magdalena's family, and I have been brought to tears several times today thinking about how much her family must be grieving right now. I can't imagine losing a child. But, right now, Magdalena is with Jesus and has a perfect body that isn't plagued by a bad heart, a heart monitor, and a feeding tube. Please pray for the Roberts family.