99 Balloons

My mom’s come over to stay with me. And since she is alone at home most of time, I had to get a TV before she came. So now when I get back home from work I get to watch TV with her.  From watching How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory alone, now I’m watching good old soap operas which have been going on for years, where in every episode some fight or the other erupts, someone dies, someone looses his/her memory power, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law take their camaraderie to a new level, someone starts plotting against someone else..... Whether it is these soap operas or the sitcoms, the stories just keep going on and on, seasons after seasons, years after years.

Well, today I would like to share with you another story. This is a real life story and unlike our favourite soap operas or sitcoms it doesn’t extend for years. This is the story of Eliot Hartman Mooney. His story lasts for a little more than three months, 99 days to be precise. Before he was born, doctors diagnosed him with Trisomy 18 also known as Edward's syndrome. It occurs roughly in 1 in 6000 births. Majority of the foetus die before birth and the ones who are born live only for a few weeks. His life is chronicled in the video below. Pls have a look.

He lived for 99 days. For those who study, thats a little more than a trimester at University, for those who work, a little more than a financial quarter. Its something that passes by so soon, but for him it was his entire lifetime. I really appreciate his parents who took the decision to have him in the world. Many others in their place would have decided not to. They did, and it changed their lives forever. Though they would have gone through a lot of pain and trouble, I believe they enjoyed and cherish each of those 99 days.

For many, having a foetus with ailment or deformity is a definite reason to abort. For many it is the future burden which makes the choice so obvious, while others may argue why should we let the child suffer his lifetime. Instead of that can’t we just put an end to it before it starts. Well, I guess Eliot’s parents gave them the answer.

Each one of our lives has its ups and downs, high and lows, good times and bad, moments when we feel we are the King of the world as well as the ones where everything seems to fall apart, moments to celebrate and cherish as well as the ones we don’t want to remember. But lets realize that no matter how long or short, how happy or sad, how easy or difficult, how convenient or troublesome, how successful or unsuccessful, it may be, our life is beautiful! And we should do everything to stand for it, to protect it, to nurture it, to save it.

Lets also take a moment to thank our parents who gave us this life, who made a conscious decision to bring us to this world. Had they decided otherwise, we would not have got a chance to see this world. We might have thanked them many times before or might not have done it ever, but today lets thank them for giving us this life. Right now as you read this, many parents around the world are making the other choice.

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

God Bless!