To the Grieving Mom Who Pursued a Treatment That Is Helping My Son

Throughout the last year, I have seen three mamas go through the heart-wrenching agony of burying their children after they each lost their lives to three different conditions. Family, friends and community members shared words of kindness and heartfelt condolences, but no one has the words to adequately express admiration or sympathy to cover the amount of pain that consumes the soul with the loss of a child.

A mother who rocked her sleeping baby with so much promise, who smiled brightly at the joy in her child’s eyes and who wiped her tears when the world seemed cruel. A mother who fought with every fiber of her being to seek out a treatment for her daughter’s condition, knowing that the treatment would never benefit her flesh and blood.

A mother who buried her own child with an ounce of peace and knowledge that though her own child would not live, she could help save the lives of children for generations to come.

How does one mother say thank you to another mother who has endured so much hurt? How do you say thank you when thank you doesn’t seem like it’s enough?

Here is my meager attempt:

Dear Warrior Mama,

Thank you for fiercely loving your child, for faithfully and relentlessly foraging a pursuit in her name and for fearlessly fighting for all the children who will follow in her footsteps.

Thank you for advocating for your child and for mine, even though our eyes have never met. Thank you for being a listening ear to strangers thousands of miles apart. Thank you for your unceasing desire to seek knowledge and for your continual quest to create a platform to educate and inform others about early progressive infantile scoliosis recognition.

Thank you for creating a community of encouragement and camaraderie, all over the world, for people who are marked by this condition. Thank you for sharing your hurts, your frustrations and your triumphs so that others can see your transparency and know that it’s OK to be real.

Thank you for encouraging our family and swiftly acting on my child’s behalf to help us to find the best care. Thank you for pursuing a treatment that is saving the life of my son. Thank you for being a mother who loved her daughter so deeply that you continue to fight so she will not have died in vain. I humbly thank you as I join the fight alongside you, one mother to another.

The Mighty is asking its readers the following: Write a thank you letter to someone you realize you don’t thank enough. If you’d like to participate, please send a blog post to community@themighty.com. Please include a photo for the piece, a photo of yourself and 1-2 sentence bio. Check out our Submit a Story page for more about our submission guidelines.