Thursday, October 28, 2010

A Ladybug with Wings


On October 27, 2010, I went to work with a heavy heart... as I do, every 27th of every month.

19 months ago, I said goodbye to my girl, Ella.

And although my heart was heavy and tears were on the surface, I could not help but smile and get real excited as the sun came out. I thought "Thanks Ella, maman needed the sun today".

So, on my work break I headed outside to enjoy the warm of this beautiful Fall sun by the waterfront, in a spot I have not visited since before Ella was born. And I just stood there for a while, reflecting on the last three years of my life and all that's hapened, I felt sad for the obvious reasons and grateful for such a beautiful day.

I then rejoined a group of colleagues outside. And as I approached them, someone pointed to one of my team member "ladybug - on you". And I stopped breathing...

If you have followed my journey, you know that Ella sends me ladybugs. In the weirdest places, with the outmost perfect timing.

What you may not know is there were very few ladybug moments this year and I would be tempted to say barely any. So this ladybug, landing on a dear friend, in between cement building by the water and staying there for a little while before flying up, up, up and away on Ella's angel anniversary was quite the sweet gift.

It brought the good kind of tears to the surface. It allowed me to focus for the rest of the day and feel content that Ella knew to take care of my soul today as she does so well on so many occasions.

And as I stopped by the cemetary later that day to bring her fresh flowers, I was pleasantly surprised to see a goose, lying down, a few feet away, just chilling, my heart heavyness was lifted once again.

I had expected a good cry and most definitely sadness, but instead, I once again said thank you to Ella, for sending me another one of my favorite winged creatures to cheer me up.

Thanks bubba, maman loves you!

PS - Take a look at the picture. It took a while for me to realize it but this one is the earliest recording of the many ladybug moments :)

ELLA - Everyone Loves Little Angels

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Travelling the World


On Oct. 24, 2008...
Ella started to travel the world...

A hop on on a plane...
A stop in Winnipeg...
A much anticipated visit...
To meet her granpapa Kumar...
And her grandmamaman Kamla...
Her great-cousins and their families...

It was meant to be a month long trip...
Taking us...
From Winnipeg to Montréal...
To meet my side of the family...
And for me to enjoy my time off with my baby girl...

I still remember how Ella was quiet...
And happy, really...

While I stuggled to get answers...
For the problems I already knew we were facing....

Ella had gone in the day before...
For a second lung xray...
And by some stroke of luck...
Or rather what I call now...
Writing in the sky...
Ella was seen by the radiology technician....
Who had performed the first xray 10 days earlier..

And he remembered...
Ella...
My Ella...

Long story short...
There was indeed progress of the wrong kind...
In her little lungs...

And so I desperatly tried to get...
Radiology and paediatry to talk...
Even minutes before we boarded our plane...

Our flight took off...
With Ella in my arms...
Peaceful...

She fed...
And she slept...
In my arms...
And in her baby seat...

She played with my hair...
And smiled to flight attendants...
Oblivious to my worries...

Which came crashing in...
Minutes after we landed...

"Ms. Dupont, this is Dr. H...
We need you to come back to Vancouver...
To run further tests"...

As my heart sank...
I remember grabbing a pen and paper...
And noting on it...
A list of details...
I knew I needed to remember...
As my brain shut down...

My baby was sick...

I already knew it...
I could not prove it...
But my gut had yelled it...
From the day she was born...

I also clearly recall...
Asking Dr. H...
Who was requesting our immediate return...
If a couple of days would make a difference...

I had to take my girl...
To Montréal to meet my family...
Her family...

I did not know what the answer would be...
And I honestly can't say I would have listened...
Had the doc said don't go to Montréal...

It's as though I knew...
That it would be...
Ella's one and only...
Trip back East...

So we went to Montréal...
And when we arrived at my parents' place...
I was faced with telling Ella's other grandma...
Grand-maman Gigi...
My own maman...
And grand-papa Jacques...
That Ella was sick...
And that we would not stay...
As we had planned to...

Instead, we made the best...
Of the little time we had...

Ella met her cousins...
Samia and Renaud...
And she met my friend Anick...

She played with grand-maman Gigi...
She was photographed by grand-papa Jacques...
And actually was the superstar...
On a photo shoot...
Organized by her uncle Martin...

Ella also was pampered...
By aunty Marie-Claude...
To whom I later found out...
She gave a big scare...
Because of her laboured breathing...

The only ingredients missing...
Were my brother and his wife...
Who at the of our visit...
Were away on a trip...

It would have been a month...
Of time with family...
With friends...
With at least a visit to Québec City...
And another one to Ottawa...

It would have been enough time...
For Ella to meet her uncle Jacques-André...
And auntie Janic...

And then after that month...
Visits to Yellowknife...
And Trinidad...
Would have been complemented...
Possibly by a trip overseas...

At least that was the plan...

Fast forward 2 years...
And tomorrow, October 27th, 2010...
Will be 19 months...
Since I lost Ella...

And yet...
Ella has travelled the world...

Ella still travels the world...

Ella lives in the heart of friends in Ireland...
And Ella brigthens the days of moms in the UK...

Ella inspires families in the U.S....
And Ella shines in Germany...
As well as in many, many other locations...
Around the globe...

She has brought together...
Families from several countries...
Who just like ours...
Have a common diagnosis for this PVNH rare disease...

And so through her passing...
And in the mission she left me...

Ella not only travels the world...

But she lives in
British Columbia....
Québec...
Manitoba...
Ontario...
PEI...
Alberta...
Northwest Territories...
Trinidad...
USA...
Australia...
New Zealand...
Ireland...
Germany...
U.K....
France...
Belgium...
Austria...
South Africa...
Poland...

And Ella continues...
To travel the world....

ELLA - Everyone Loves Little Angels