Saturday, June 17, 2006
Dr. Elizabeth DeHority wants to thank the person who sewed the cap and gown in which William Francis DeHority was laid to rest.
It's that simple.
A Charlotte, N.C., mother aches to reach out to a stranger whose kind act will resonate for as long as the memory of a lost son lives. Life isn't always built on miracles or momentous acts. It's often built on a thousand quiet gestures that form a foundation of grace -- gestures like a cap and gown sewn for a newborn who came too early.
Drs. Dixon and Elizabeth DeHority, family doctors in Charlotte and the parents of four young children, lost their fifth when William was born four months premature at Presbyterian Hospital. He died May 28. Six days later, William was laid to rest after a small family gathering at Evergreen Cemetery. Their parish priest and friend, the Rev. Conrad Hoover of St. Ann Catholic Church, presided over the gathering.
William was buried in the cap and gown his mother never imagined would mean this much to her. Hospitals, grieving parents and dying patients everywhere benefit from the talents of those who sew or knit for others.
In her own words
I'm glad to be able to let DeHority explain. She titled this "An Open Letter to those who sew Baby Gowns."
"Yesterday was a bad day for our family. Our fifth child was born, painfully and suddenly at only 13 ounces. William Francis DeHority was as alive and active as a five-months-pregnant mom could ever sense yesterday during church, but by 12:55 p.m. he had been born and had died.
"The nurses at the hospital were so kind to us. We got to hold our son, and my husband bathed him and we cried over his perfect, tiny little face and hands. Then the nurses took him to weigh and measure him, and to do his footprints for us to keep forever.
"When they brought him back to us, he was dressed in the most beautiful gown -- all white batiste, with satin ribbons and white embroidery along all the edges. He had a perfect tiny cap to match. Please realize that his whole body was only 9 inches long, and this soft, tiny garment fit him exactly. Imagine how little the wrists of such a gown must be to exactly fit our son's miniature, perfect little hands!
"We were able to hold him some more, while we held him and his brothers and sister in prayer, and it was so much easier when he was dressed in garments made with such love and care. We will bury him later this week [he has already been laid to rest], in his perfect gown and cap, and the whole experience will be just a little less painful because I know that my son will live forever in my memory so beautifully cared for.
"To the ladies who make the gowns for the tiniest babies: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I wish I could tell you in person how much your gift means to me and my family, but you've chosen to be anonymous, which I respect. So this will have to do. You have made a very painful day easier for us and you've given us a beautiful way to remember our son."
Knight Ridder Newspapers