A Pay It Forward, Like No Other..

I needed to share this touching story with you all, if you don't think God speaks to us, you really need to think again.

Written by, Melissa Sahlmann

Back a few months ago I told Stephanie and Teresa that If Vance lived to his 6month birthday I would give away the My Very Own Angel tee shirt Theresa bought me. I felt like if he lived to be 6 months old, I could let go of it and start to focus on him living. Not stressed that each day could be the last. We agreed and I told the the date, MAY 23. This was touching for Stephanie as it's Vayden's birthday as well. So I've been going along not thinking too much about it. I sent Stephanie a comment of the 23th of April reminding her that the 6 month mark was only 1 month away, but didn't think anymore about it. A good friend and I spend most of last night and morning talking about how God has worked in us and what we want to try to give back. After she left, I sat reading my bible and came to a page that was marked by a business card. I looked over the page to see why it had been marked, but none of the verses stood out to me so I pulled out the card. Later I flipped it over to read the front and it was a MVOA card from Stephanie..."I'm sorry for your loss..." but I have no loss I thought, so I left the card next to my scriptures and went about preparing dinner. I was in the middle of frying two things at once and not doing a very god job at it (when smoke is billowing from your oil that's not a good sign), plus Vance had started to cry for his next feeding, so I was a bit frazzled when a knock at the door came. "Gosh who is it now??" I thought to myself. Zoe (Teresa's step-granddaughter) from next door (and yes her family coincidentally lives next door to me) looking for Gillian most likely. When I opened it however, it was a young man, mid twenties maybe. I'm standing there holding the baby while he is waling his head off and the guy starts a sales pitch. "I'm with this company in Thomasville NC...BLAH BLAH BLAH..selling furniture...BLAH BLAH BLAH." I was about to blow him off because the smoke was getting thicker, then he asked about Vance. How old? I'm trying to ditch out of the conversation but he pulls me back in. I have a six month old. Six month twins, but one died at 15 days and my son who is living is 6 months. AWW but before I have a chance to say anymore he's leaving to go on to the next house. After Vance is calmed, I pull the pots off the stove and glance over at the business card still sitting next to the scriptures on the couch, so I decide to give it to him, but no not just the card. I know it's earlier than we talked about but this mom had a boy and my tee shirt is blue. Couldn't be a fluke that he came to the door telling a complete stranger about his son just after I found the card, God was leading me. I run upstairs to get it and amazingly the shirt was sitting out from some organizational projects I'm working on around the house. I grab the shirt, the baby and the card. He's down the road four houses down and still working in the opposite direction, but when he sees me walking his way with the baby he stops and waits for me. He thinks I want to look at the furniture, but instead I hand him the shirt and the card that I had written my name on the back of and tell him it's for his wife/girlfriend. I tell him I know a wonderful group of women that have been through the same thing and that he can tell her to find us on face book. A co-worker comes up and asks what he has so he tells him while he holds up the tee shirt...."Amanda will really like that" he says.

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Vance was given a fatal diagnosis in the womb, I met Melissa through Teresa who became very involved with her story, not long after meeting her Melissa became like family to me. When Teresa ordered a blue MVOA t-shirt for Melissa I sent it along with a carrying to term comfort pack. Days after the mail was sent I had a gut feeling that Melissa would not need the shirt or the comfort pack, we had a few months until Vance's due date but I just felt like he wasn't meant to be an angel. I emailed Teresa and told her to hold off on giving her the pack and the shirt, I felt in my heart that Vance was going to make it,Teresa felt the same. Vance was born exactly 6 months to the date I lost Vayden, and his prognosis was bleak I remember talking with Teresa every other day where she would say "I have the cap and shirt in hand" as she would visit with Vance and Melissa often to capture precious moments. The days turned to weeks and the weeks to months, and here we are almost 6 months and although Vance faces obstacles he is proving the Dr.'s wrong with every passing week.

God is good, so good.