Photo: Courtesy Sierra Strangfeld
When Sierra Strangfeld was pregnant with her second child, she looked forward to the hours they would soonspend together breastfeeding. Her 18-month-old daughter had a tongue tie that kept her from nursing, and Strangfeld was excited to try again.
But, tragically, it wouldn’t be possible — she learned at 20 weeks that her son, whom she would name Samuel, would not survive due to an extremely rare condition calledTrisomy 18, or Edwards’ Syndrome. Fetuses with the condition have an extra chromosome that causes severe developmental delays like an abnormally shaped head, clubbed feet and birth defects in their organs. Most pass in utero froman early miscarriageor die shortly after their birth.
The salon owner from Neillsville, Wisconsin, spent the next two months going to checkups, and on Sept. 5, her doctor said he would likely pass in utero in the next week. Strangfeld wanted a chance to hold Samuel, so she pushed for a C-section delivery, even though her doctor could not promise that he would arrive alive.
“The unknown of what was about to happen was scary. And I believe the whole thing was traumatizing,” she says.
Sierra Strangfeld with her husband Lee and son Samuel.Tina L. Scott
Samuel lived for three hours out of the womb, and Strangfeld was able to hold her son. She then decided topump the breast milkthat had come in for Samuel and donate it to babies in need, in his honor.
Samuel Strangfeld.Tina L. Scott
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On Samuel’s due date, Strangfeld donated herlast bags of breast milkat the hospital, where they would go to NICU babies in need.
“It was a very emotional day,” she says. “It was the first time I stepped foot back in the hospital since having Samuel. But, walking through the halls, I definitely felt Samuel wrap his arms around me. It was a sense of healing.”
Strangfeld posted about her donationon Facebookthat day, and within a week her post has been shared nearly 4,000 times.
“We promised him we would tell his story, but we never expected it to go nationwide like it has,” she says. “This is his story to tell, and he is certainly telling it though every Facebook like and share, and through every news article. Our goal is to have a non-profit organization is Samuel’s name called Smiling for Samuel — we have big hopes and dreams to carry on his legacy.”
source: people.com
