The Sunshine Son
This is our son Aarush (meaning the dawn’s first sunlight). He was with us
for 37 weeks and 6 days before a true umbilical knot took his life. This story
and foundation are in his honor and we hope to carve out a legacy for him which
would benefit the Women and families in his generation.
This journey started with 2 years of unexplained infertility, with treatment
leading to a pregnancy which was taken away far too soon. As is common with
first time IUI / IVF patients, we forgot of our struggles the moment we were
pregnant. We were overjoyed with the news, and participated in all the things
that new parents to be do. We were told to take prenatal vitamins and exercise.
A weekly pregnancy app check on the size of our baby kept us counting and
guessing week to week. We eagerly smiled as we learned he was the size of a
grape to a grapefruit and he kept growing and kicking. We shared the milestones
with our family and friends including a Facebook announcement with an
ultrasound picture at 13 weeks, a gender reveal at 16 weeks, and a beautiful
baby shower at 28 weeks. Every night we’d talk to him and share stories of his
future and we bought everything there is to buy to give him the most comfort
when he was in our arms.
At 37+2 weeks we had a very normal appointment which consists of a heart
rate check and an ultrasound to check if he was positioned with his head down. Only
2 days later, at 37+4 weeks, we shockingly found out that Aarush’s heart had
stopped beating and a few days later he was delivered at term. Our plans came
crashing down in an instant. We eventually learned that his umbilical cord had
tied into a true knot which with current medical technology, has no detection
or early indications of distress. He was born naturally and we spent as much
time as the hospital would allow until we had to let him go. He was pink in the
face and all of his fingers and toes accounted for but as we held him tight
that day we realized that he was the only one in the room unable to cry and our
new reality began to set in, we were loss parents after 2 years and 9 months
and were only able to bring home a teddy bear.
As parents, our journey is not over, it is filled with the same struggles,
trauma and pain of loss-parents and fertility patients all around the world.
The Sun Shines On
As we shared our sadness with our family and friends, we quickly came to
realize how so many others also had similar stories of fetal loss, some from
known medical complications and others still left in the dark; all grieving
silently. From menarche to menopause, Women’s Health is filled with stories of
uncertainty, poor medical research, access to basic care, or acceptable
treatment options compared to other advances in technology.
This Foundation is inspired by Aarush’s
journey and in hearing others’ stories. In sharing our son’s story, we hope to
cultivate a community-based approach to help provide comfort and solace to
anyone that has shared similar experiences to us. We hope our efforts can have
a significant improvement in pregnancy outcomes by bolstering fertility
research, supporting technology and development to those improving live birth
outcomes, and reducing maternal mortality. Our mission is to not only help
support families in their darkest hours but also to promote a global awareness,
using maternal fetal medicine research, data analytics, and the power of our
engineering and medical staff to ensure that the Sun Shines On for all families
going forward.