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The BEST Big Brother EVER!

An article I read the other day got me thinking about a gift I never knew existed from my son, the big brother of three younger sisters. It was a gift I had never thought about until I read the article.  I wanted to write this piece so that one day my girls will know that Jake, their big brother, gave them a gift I could never have given.

When Jake was born in 2004, we learned four short days after he arrived, of a rare condition that he had, one that we were not aware we carried.  It was because of his birth, and the prenatal testing done post-birth, that we were able to identify what the condition was, how to care for him and provide him with the medicine that he would need to keep him alive.  This turn of events at one of the most wonderful times in my life, turned into a very dark period of questions, fear, sadness which also grew into gratitude, hope and faith.  This happened to be the scariest roller coaster we had ever ridden, and we are still hanging on tight today.

Until recently, I haven’t revisited the events and what we learned just shy of 10 years ago this year, because they will still get me emotional just thinking about it.  Jake, unknowingly, saved all his sisters lives.  If it had not been for Jake being born with the condition first, we would not have known to test the other babies in utero for this specific condition.  If we had not tested them for the condition, it might have gone undetected.  If it had gone undetected, we might have lost one very early on after birth as the medicine needed to keep them alive would not have been given so quickly.  Or after the baby girl had been born, she might have needed invasive surgeries that could have been prevented had we known earlier about the silent condition we passed on to our children.

Jake

But because of Jake, our lives were changed.  All three of his little sisters were born under the watchful eyes of people who could help us prepare for them. We have educated our selves about prenatal testing, genetics, and how new born screenings really do save lives.  I hope that my girls will know the kind of gift Jake gave to them one day. I know that I am forever thankful to Jake for all that he has given to us, without even ever know he did so.

This post was written to educate more people about how the March of Dimes helps saves babies like mine.  Learn more about all they do here.

 


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Meet Tampa Mama, Marisa Langford


Marisa Langford is the founder of the Tampa Mama Blog, a blog that guide parents around the city (and beyond) to the best places for kids and families. She is a working Mom of four, carefully juggling a full time career in experiential marketing, leading Girl Scouts and all the chaos that goes along with a family of 6.

Marisa is a speaker, influencer, and passionate about all things mom. She partners with brands that share her passion for healthy living, on the go fun and family togetherness.

In her personal blog, Marisa writes about motherhood, family travel, how to manage a household of 6, and of course all the fun places to go as living in Florida is like living on a permanent vacation. She has a daughter who is a Type 1 Diabetic and 3 children with rare medical conditions.

Marisa has been published by Huffington Post, Where Traveler, Parents.com, the Today Show Parenting Blog, Trekaroo, Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine, and many others. She contributes to a variety of online publications and also appears monthly on Great Day Tampa Bay on WTSP New Channel 10.

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