Savannah Snow Simmons

I found out I was pregnant, and up until I was 7 months, everything was going well. They said she had a heart problem and that she would need surgery after I gave birth. Well, there was more to it when she was born. I had to have a C-section, even though she was 4 pounds. When I didn't hear her cry, I felt something was wrong. They wrapped her up, gave her to dad, and I woke up later. Not one doctor, but two doctors and a nurse came into the room. I knew something was wrong. The first thing I said was, "Don't tell me my baby didn't make it." Then there was a pause, followed by a "No, she is okay, breathing on her own. We just have to run more tests." I was ready to see her, so they wheeled me back to the NICU, and I got to hold her. As my husband and I kissed her and thanked God for her, we laid her down. Then, more doctors with no good bedside manners came in. Two doctors walked in, not speaking to us but speaking about Savannah Snow. One doctor said, "Yeah," as he took the cover off her. She looks like she has the statue gen; it looks like it's starting already. I will never forget that ever. My husband and I looked at each other and shook it off.

The next day, her belly Ruben was too high. They put her in a little clear box after they covered her eyes, and we were asked to come to a room. The doctor said to me and my husband, "We have done some testing, and she has full Trisomy 18." At this point, we were like, "Okay, what do we have to do to get her better?" Because we had never heard of this type of thing. She said, "Savannah Snow has at least 5 days to live." I lost it, I'll be real, I did. This is so painful. Still, she is my only biological girl. I have two beautiful stepdaughters, but they are grown. I'm crying, screaming, my husband is crying, and they had to give me a shot; that's how bad I got.

But I will cut to this part. Savannah Snow lived for 4 months. She got a cold a week before her heart surgery and couldn't fight it off. I held my baby and watched her oxygen go from 128 to 0. I was so mad at myself and God. I didn't realize I was being selfish with my grief, but my husband allowed me to grieve until 2017. It was at this time I realized God knows my pain; He gave His only begotten son to die for our sins. She got to go to church; she got to meet her great-grandmother. The last thing on the list was to go to the park, but I didn't want to do too much too fast because of her heart.

That next year, 2018, I found out I was pregnant again with twins, but they didn't make it out my tubes all the way, so I was rushed into surgery, and they were taken from me. Three months later, I found out I had cancer. I went through my first treatment after surgery and got a call the next day about harvesting my eggs before treatment. That took me out again, so now I'm barren. But I still have my daughter; she will always be my baby. I have my two sons before my marriage. Through all of that, I learned I'm stronger than I give myself credit for, and that my husband really does love me. I love him as well. Eleven years later, we are still together, fighting this cancer thing. People kept saying when parents lose a child, it's harder to stay together. No, it's not. You just have to take that love you have for your child close to your heart and funnel it to your husband and allow him to break down. We work through it together.

I became a grandmother in 2022, and that's Baby Snow's story.

Thank you.