A Miracle Baby Wish For Deanna and Burt…

Over the years I’ve had Clients needing help with funeral or medical expenses start a GoFundMe Account. My reasons for this are that I’m well aware many of my followers and connections care about my Clients story.

I first met Deanna and Burt while officiating their wedding in Sampson Park. Deanna is  separated from the military and a VA disabled vet. Burt is active military.

This beautiful couple and their darling son were truly a joy and honor to meet in person on a day that started rainy and dreary and overcast but, by the time the ceremony started, the weather had turned out beautifully.

Burt was beaming. Watching Deanna approach me in her beautiful gown with a shimmering smile, I knew how special this couple and their love shared would be.Personally, I remember thinking that the rainbow behind me represented the joy this couple had finally found.

As a solo guitarist played beside us, I smiled knowing how perfectly this wedding had come together. It’s well known that outdoor events can be “tricky” in Texas. Several months ago, Deanna contacted me regarding baptizing her baby. I was initially thrilled to hear such happy news only to learn later that baby DeLilah had Trisomy.

I prayed for a miracle over and over for the new friends I had found and, I remained positive that surely, DeLilah would make it.

Deanna was fearful she would lose the child she had wanted so badly and, she had reasons. I cannot imagine the stress Burt and Deanna faced during the pregnancy while praying for the best and yet, preparing for the worst.

For my readers who are unfamiliar with this rare disease, I’m adding the link– Trisomy. What is it and how does it work?

A few months prior to the birth of her daughter, Deanna contacted me again now terrified that the baptism would be followed by a Memorial. I was devastated after following Deanna’s updates on FB. Deanna regularly posted family photos and updates.

Carrying a child while knowing that something you so desperately wanted may not survive is a heartbreaking reality for anyone.

I was devastated about this news but, as a previous client and friends to me, determined that whatever the Villarreal Family needed of me was where my heart and my schedule was going to be.

On the eve of the birth of baby DeLilah, my twin sister, Cindy and I had walked into the room of Deanna to hear a tiny heartbeat.

Family and friends had gathered inside the crowded hospital room with Deanna and Burt while everyone (including me) hugged and silently prayed that baby DeLilah would pull through.

This heartbeat of baby DeLilah had convinced Cindy and I both that baby DeLilah would survive. That strong steady rhythm of the heartbeat relieved me to such an extent that while waiting on the baby to arrive, Cindy and I left Harris to head to another appointment in Dallas to take care of a previous appointment before returning to Harris to await the birth.

Leaving Deanna, Cindy and I both felt so strongly that we would be holding a happy baby by the time we returned to baptize DeLilah. We were certain of a joyous baptism but, we were wrong.

Upon returning to the hospital, we realized Deanna and Burt had been moved to another room and finally located them.

This time though, there weren’t happy and joyous faces of military members in the room.

Their joy had turned to sadness and I was struck with the grim certainty that the little baby who had fought so hard to live would be taken away from Burt and Deanna.

I was crushed and tried with all my might to mask my emotion while conducting the baptism. It was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do.

The angelic face of a baby who would have been loved beyond measure was going to leave a gaping hole in the hearts of the Villarreal Family as well as mine and Cindy’s. The entire room was filled with sniffles and silent tears.

It was a completely different environment than the previous room with hope and joy.

A matter of a few hours was all it took to change the course of what had begun with joy that would now become grief, loss and sadness for my couple.

My sister had to leave the room because she couldn’t control her sobbing. We were shocked and crushed for the family. The following weekend, Cindy and I traveled to the Memorial for baby DeLilah. As a Funeral Celebrant, it’s essential to remain composed during a ceremony but, knowing the family as well as I did, I couldn’t.

There were actually more than a few times throughout my sermon when my sadness was so profound that I was unable to keep from crying myself which disrupted my carefully orchestrated Memorial for DeLilah.

It’s difficult to explain how officiating a Memorial or Funeral affect me. I’m often far more emotional for a child and especially a baby that never had the chance to enjoy life.

Over the years, I’ve officiated many memorials but none are are sad for me as those services that celebrate the life of someone who was gone far too soon.

With a heavy heart, Burt and Deanna along with friends and family said goodbye to the baby that had brought us all back together again. Deanna had sent her wedding dress off to have a christening gown made for DeLilah.

It was beautiful and such a wonderful way to tie the wedding of Burt and Deanna into the baptism of DeLilah.

I’m attaching the GoFundMe Campaign link for the Villarreal Family. I hope you find it in your heart to share their story and if you can, donate to their cause.

This is an amazing and loving family that couldn’t be more deserving for a chance at the gift of life…Praying For A Miracle- The Villarreal Family.