Sunday, July 22, 2007

Eli Compagnon Stanley

Hi Everyone,

Ian and I wanted to share with you all that Grace will soon have a baby brother. We are due Oct. 31st and after many months of agonizing testing and counseling we are hopeful that he will be healthy. Although nothing is conclusive because we choose not to do any invasive tests (due to the risk of miscarriage) and because Grace's cancer was so rare it was hard for our medical team to even know what to test us for, we have been told that our risk of having a unwell baby would only be 1 percent higher than average population risk making it 4 to 5 percent. We know that Grace can never be replaced. We are hopeful that our son (we've named him Eli) will bring some relief to our aching hearts by once again injecting the joy of actively parenting into our worlds. I still struggle daily with having lost Grace and hope that her spirit dances free of the burdens of her unwell body.

Mama misses you baby,
Lesley

P.S. Grace's website (www.gracestanley.org) should be uploaded with all walk information (including pledge forms that can be downloaded and printed) by the end of the week. We look forward to your participation in The 3rd Annual Walk for Grace on Sept. 9 honouring the first anniversary of Grace earning her angel wings.