Thoughts and Feelings of Those Touched by the Ministry of the Perinatal Hospice
Dear Dr. Stringfield, Gayly & Tammy,
We cannot express our thanks enough for the support given to all of us through your wonderful organization.
Gayly and Tammy, we could not have gone through this in the way that we did without you. Dr. Stringfield you should be extremely proud of these two ladies and proud of yourself for providing such a valuable service.
Little Natalie is such a blessing in our lives and as sad as the time was it is most precious. These memories will be with us always. We have a lot of healing to do, and it has already begun. All of the memories made and thinking of you wonderful people will comfort us.
Thank you for your kindness. Please accept this donation to Natalies' memorial and thank you again for being there for us.
Shirley & Daniel
"Just a note to tell you how much you all helped as we faced such a difficult situation with little Karly. Your presence and prayers during surgery offered a great deal of peace. Thank you for giving of your time and yourselves! God bless you as you carry on this wonderful work. With much love and appreciation."
Thank you for helping us during the most difficult time in our lives. My husband and I, along with our mothers, benefited tremendously from meeting with you last week. You made us feel good about the decision we are making. You said that our baby girl is special and a gift from God. Thank you for treating her that way.
We will treasure our video of her and we will definitely be back for another.
Thanks again,
Matt and Carol
Dear Choices Medical Clinic
I and my husband just wanted to say thanks for everything.
When I came to you guys I was under the influence that abortion was the only option for me and I didn’t want that at all! But you guys told me that I could carry her if I wanted and I wanted to spend as much time with my daughter, Kayla, as I could.
Thank you for giving me choices and being honest and open with both me and my husband. If it wasn’t for you guys telling me it wouldn’t hurt to carry her, I wouldn’t have been lucky enough to have felt her grow and move. I feel so much better knowing I spent as much time as I could with her and no one took her besides God and He took her when He thought it was time.
I feel blessed enough that I experienced pregnancy and experienced my daughter. I still hope to have more children, but I’ll never forget my first daughter, she’s a very special girl.
Thanks,
Kristin and Randall
We cannot begin to describe how much your support has meant to my husband and me. You helped us get through the most difficult time of our lives. All we can say is THANK YOU for everything. You helped us create a lifetime of memories of our precious daughter. We will love land cherish her always.
Love,
Matt and Carol
Dear Tim,
I am a Wichita resident and was particularly touched by your Perinatal Hospice concept and wish there was such a facility in Orlando, Florida area where my daughter Christine and her husband Saul live. Christine & Saul are expecting their second child in early November and were told about a month ago that their unborn baby girl has an almost certainly fatal version of a terrible genetic defect called Trisomy-18. Based on the ultrasounds, studies of the amniotic fluid, genetic counseling, and meetings with a maternal/fetal specialist at Arnold Palmer Medical Center and several neonatologists, it seems that almost nobody is entirely supportive of their decision to continue the pregnancy.
Several of the doctors have told my daughter point-blank that they thought it was pointless to continue the pregnancy, but even though it is too late to abort in Florida, she could come to Wichita, Kansas if she changed her mind. What a horrific thing for our state to be known for?! Praise God this is not something they will even consider.
Understandably, my daughter is beset with grief, but she is also very confused about the other important choices she has to make, such as what hospital and doctor is best. For example, some doctors say that the baby may not survive until full term, but if it does it probably won’t survive long, so it may not be that important to have a level 3 NICU available. Because doctors can’t tell her the outcome for sure, my daughter prefers to choose a hospital with a level 3 NICU, but the best equipped one, Arnold Palmer, is over an hour away from where they live. Also, the most compassionate neonatologist Christine has met with so far is well over an hour away and does not practice at the same hospital as her regular Obstetrician. In addition, doctors disagree whether it would be better for her to have a VBAC or have another Caesarean.
Although Christine realizes there’s no guarantee that her baby will survive until birth, it is her most profound wish to do everything she can to have her baby born alive and to have as much time with her as possible before the Lord takes her home. Most disturbing though is one of their doctors warning about nurses attitudes at some of the hospitals who have very strong feelings against delivering babies with severe defects. My daughter was told of a couple who recently, during and after the delivery of their sick baby, was treated with hostility by a nurse who thought they were being cruel to “intentionally deliver a critically ill baby and force it to suffer an unnecessary agonizing death.” Isn’t this nurse’s behavior a violation of the Patient Bill of Rights?
It is heartbreaking to see my daughter’s confusion and agony in trying to decide the best course of action among the myriad and complicated choices being set before them. Can you or anyone on your staff think of a person or place in Orlando that can help them sort it out? My daughter and her husband’s obvious first choice of counsel, their Pastor, just told them he is leaving their small church within the next two weeks and returning to Texas where he feels he is being called to full time missionary work.
Any suggestions will be more appreciated than you can know…
God bless you all,
Signed