FEATURE FRIDAY! ⁣
Today we are featuring the incredible @ruthievon.⁣
She is such a light and inspiration, and we are excited for you to get to know her and her story. ♥️⁣
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Ansel was born Jan14, 2017 and he died Jan 16 2017. Ansel had a CHD called Hypoplastic Left Heart Disease. We found out around the 20 week point and proceeded to make plans for surgical intervention, but a month before he was born an echocardiogram showed us that his heart had worsened and become very dangerous to operate on. We were given the choice, but at that point we opted out of surgery and instead chose the palliative route. He was with us for 44 hours and passed away in our arms at home.⁣
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What helped you the most after your loss?⁣
Being with people who had been there with me, friends and family. My family was there with us in the delivery room, there in the room with us as he took his last breaths. The day we buried Ansel was also the birthday of one of my best friends. We celebrated his birthday later that night. Leaving the house felt odd, but I was with people that I love who love Kameron and me, and Ansel. It was liberating to be able to spend time and talk about everyday things without having to pretend like everything was ok. A solid support system is the best thing I can advise. Let people in, let people be there for you. Don’t isolate yourself, it’s hard enough to get through without doing it alone.⁣
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What advice would you give to others that lose someone?⁣
Don’t be afraid to talk about it. For so long I hesitated because I hated to make people uncomfortable, but it’s my life, and I’ve realized through sharing with strangers and acquaintances alike that there are are so many more people out there who’ve been through something similar. I feel strongly about being open about it now, you’d be surprised how many people around you have experienced that loss. You probably know someone, and the more awareness we have, the more empathy and love we’ll be able to give.⁣