Day 1: Who are you? Share as little or as much about you in general.
My name is Dana. I have a 16-month old daughter, Gracie, whom my website is named after. We lost our son, Benjamin Kristian, her twin brother, to two separate congenital defects, Potter’s syndrome and Ebstein’s anomaly. Both defects are fatal on their own. I define myself as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. Most of what I do, I do in memory of our son.
I had to do fertility treatments just for the privilege of getting pregnant, so I cherished the pregnancy, even though I was scared to death something would go wrong. So, when something did go wrong, it was very hard for me not blame myself and it became increasingly difficult to deal with. Fortunately, the lactation specialist in the NICU told me about a support group for infant loss (even though I was told several times in the hospital about it, but I refused to really listen!) and through that group, I met some very wonderful people.
Today, Gracie is 16 months old and a little ham. Watching her grow up is bittersweet for me. It’s incredibly difficult to watch your twin daughter grow up alone.
I’m a very creative person. I love to write, draw, paint, and make jewelry. I’ve become involved with the Palliative Care committee through the hospital I delivered Gracie and Benjamin, and through the support group I attend, I’ve learned to live a new normal. Lately, I’ve become more involved with making jewelry to sell and it still boggles my mind that there are total strangers out there who think my stuff is good enough to buy. I’m also preparing to make a bunch of necklaces to sell at the Los Angeles Walk to Remember on October 15th.
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