Tragedy and Courage
expatbrian
Stories of enormous courage always seem to emerge from tragedy. So it was with 9-11 and so it is with the devastating earthquakes in Sichuan Province, China which now number over 75 in the last 8 days. (that's just the ones over 4.0)
Four days after the first quake, with little hope of finding survivors under the mountains of rubble, the body of a young woman was found. She was in a kneeling position, clutching a bundle under her body. In the bundle was her sleeping 4 month old child, still suckling at her mother's lifeless breast.
They were pulled from the debris and the baby was rushed to a medical facility where it was found to be fine. The mother had had the foresight before she died to position herself in such a way that even if she expired, her nipple would still be in her baby's mouth. Whatever reservoir of milk was available, probably saved the baby's life.
When the doctor at the medical facility unbundled the baby he found a cell phone in the wrap. On it was a text message that simply said,
Stories of enormous courage always seem to emerge from tragedy. So it was with 9-11 and so it is with the devastating earthquakes in Sichuan Province, China which now number over 75 in the last 8 days. (that's just the ones over 4.0)Four days after the first quake, with little hope of finding survivors under the mountains of rubble, the body of a young woman was found. She was in a kneeling position, clutching a bundle under her body. In the bundle was her sleeping 4 month old child, still suckling at her mother's lifeless breast.
They were pulled from the debris and the baby was rushed to a medical facility where it was found to be fine. The mother had had the foresight before she died to position herself in such a way that even if she expired, her nipple would still be in her baby's mouth. Whatever reservoir of milk was available, probably saved the baby's life.
When the doctor at the medical facility unbundled the baby he found a cell phone in the wrap. On it was a text message that simply said,
"My dear baby, if you can survive, do remember that I loved you."Love and courage, pure and simple.
Labels: human spirit
posted by Libby Spencer at 7:16 PM
4 Comments:
I've been so distraught watching the images of death, injury and anxiety. I simply can't get involved in minor skirmishes over stupid little annoyances because somewhere else in the world there is so much suffering. I hope someone will preserve this story so that baby will know her Mother's love and sacrifice.
Yes, with any luck that phone with its message of love will be preserved. And with more luck, the baby girl will survive to grow to an age where she can understand and cherish it.
Ok, so I'm a maudlin old man, but I am a parent and grandparent and can't read that without tears.
I too had to dry my keyboard, not because of the death of the mother - we are blasted with that kind of news hourly - but because of her courage and spirit in spite of it. I can think of a few who could certainly learn a thing or two from her actions.
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