Lucia's Words and Snapshots




Monday, December 5, 2011

Day 23-Let it Be Belly

This beautiful belly photo showed up on my Facebook page from my cousin Judy! Her belly comes with a story of miracles and love.

photo by Judith Fabris Kupsik ˝© 2011

"I've been following your belly blog. It inspired me to share with you my belly. Let me just say....I used to love my belly! Thought it was the sexiest part of me. Had the belly button ring and it was flat and beautiful! But I gave up the ring and gained stretch marks and flab. Would I trade anything to have the young belly back? No! With every stretch mark came love! A love that I would NEVER give for anything! My babies were worth every pound and scar! ♥ Let It Be!"

I was immediately reminded of a post Judy had on Facebook just a few days before about a conversation she had with her son, Jules.

"Good heart felt crying with my Jules tonight. Telling him and relaying stories to him of why he is here today. God bless my beautiful, wonderful and amazingly strong Mom! Thank you (words can't describe) to the organ donors! Just a great feeling to tell my son how amazing that he is here today! <3 Hey Jude..."

Here is the story I have heard my whole life of Sharon (Judy's mom) in Judy's words. I remember the first time I met Judy and her mom I had a hard time talking. I just kept looking at them in awe. I was standing in front of 2 miracles.

"When my mom was a teenager she was diagnosed with kidney disease. Undiagnosed infections were destroying her kidneys. Her first transplant was in 1972 from a young donor that had died in an accident. After months of dialysis, her life could finally go back to normal. Because of the anti-rejection drugs and being immuno-surpressed, she was advised to not become pregnant. But oops...in 1975, she became pregnant with me. Some doctors told her to have an abortion. Some said I would be retarded bc of the meds. But she would not give up. She wanted me. So, April 16, 1976, Good Friday, I was born. 4 lbs and 1/2 oz. I was the 49th child in the world to be born from a mother who had already had a kidney transplant. I was named after St. Jude. The saint of hopeless cases. I was a little sick after I was born, but I pulled thru. My mom was now slowly losing her transplanted kidney. Just when she was about to start dialysis again, she got the call that they had a kidney. In November of 1977, she received her second transplant which functioned normally till the day God called her home...33 years!

My mom had had many surgeries and other problems throughout the years. She had two heart valve replacements....the first with a St. Jude valve. That one failed in 1997 and she had it replaced with a cadaver valve from a donor. So, organ donors have played a huge part in our lives. If it wouldn't have been for them, my mom wouldn't have stayed alive and would never have had me. And if I was never born, then my children wouldn't be here either. When deciding what to name our first child, my husband, a HUGE Beatles fan, really wanted the name Julian...after Lennon's son and the song Hey Jude. I always thought the song Hey Jude was written for me. It always helped me in hard times when I listened to it. So, naming our son Julian was like naming him after me. And carrying on circle of life."


Judy and her Mom, Sharon with their St. Jude necklaces on.

1 comment:

  1. I so love these belly stories of women. Yes, this one is particularly moving. Thank you so much for sharing.
    When I began the Women's Belly and Womb Conferences over a decade ago, women did not actually know whey would need to have a day to honor our many stories and journeys with our bellies and wombs. We have so many stories however that to finally be able to share them and honor our journeys is truly sacred. Thank you for this incredible blog. I have been inspired and re-inspired all month long. Keep them coming! 3/30 again! Encore! There are more women who will reveal! http://www.alisastarkweather.com http://www.redtenttemplemovement.com We can tell them in the Red Tent Temples, another grassroots movement I envisioned!

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