a hurting heart

I'm taking the risk right now of being vulnerable with my readers. I guess maybe this is more for me anyway, a cathartic exercise. I have a broken heart. I've faced some hard heart-breaking events this year, and due to those things, I think my heart has become more fragile. I have a broken heart for the Vitek family.

Kristen and Frank Vitek had their little girl, Anna Marie, 4 months early. Yes, a whole 4 months. She was born on March 15th, when her due date was July 3rd. She weighed 11 ounces and was only 9 inches long. I'm not sure of the details of what happened, but Kristen experienced some complications and had an emergency c-section and Anna was born. I'm also not sure of how things currently stand, I'm patiently waiting to hear the status of both mom and daughter. Kristen was our next door neighbor growing up, and she would babysit my brother and I frequently. Her brother, Brian, and I grew up together, close as brother and sister ourselves. Brian and Stacy had their little girl, Ava, just last week (the subject of my blog post last week). Ava and Anna were supposed to be 3 months apart and they are only 5 days apart. Also, Ava was born almost 3 weeks early, so they should have been more like 4 months apart.

I've been sick to my stomach about this all week, dreaming and praying for this family. I'm so confused as to why bad things happen to good people and I'm pulling for little Anna and family to get through this ordeal. I'm trusting that God protects this family and know that my heart isn't the only one hurting right now. Pray for this family with me! I get a lump in my throat and feel genuine pain for this situation. I know I am fragile for stories like this as a new parent myself. Though I hope to never "harden" to these types of things, I fear that stories like this will continue to chip away at me. I'm trying to stay strong for this family and know that the pain they all must be feeling is ten times what I feel.

Send your good thoughts, mighty prayers and general healthy vibes in the direction of Illinois and this family. Thank you!