My journey to becoming amazing Mason’s mother began with a difficult pregnancy that landed me on bed rest at 23 weeks and in and out of the clinic on a weekly basis due to terrible blood pressures that gave me terrible headaches that affected my vision and with horrific swelling. I was allowed to be on my feet for an hour a day but, even then the swelling was unreal. On march 3, my biggest fear became a reality as my OBGYN read my weekly test results and sent my nurse in the room to begin my steroid shots to grow my son’s lungs, I then was sent home to pack a hospital bag and my husband and return to our local hospital. As I left the clinic the skies opened up and it began to rain and I sobbed all the way home, feeling every emotion I knew I would have to hide once I delivered the news to my husband. I prayed that whatever was in God’s plan, would just include a healthy child that I could one day bring home and love. Skip ahead just a few hours, and with my health declining my doctor made the decision to send me to UAMS by ambulance to try and prevent delivery for as long as possible. I was told I bypassed eclampsia and was in full blown hellp syndrome Sunday afternoon, with my blood pressures in seizure range and my platelets in the 50’s, and once my liver enzymes began tripling I was given no choice but to deliver by cesearean, and quickly. I gave birth to a 2lb 13 ounce, 19 inch perfect preemie angel, who not only cried as they took him from me but only required room air for the first week of his life, he was so strong! I on the other hand, had to deal with the next three days of the worst pain I’ve ever felt, completely out of my mind because of my pressures and not allowed out of bed due to some of the medications they were using for my treatment. I finally sweet talked a nurse into wheeling me down to meet my son if I promised ‘not to seize.’ So at 46 hours old, I got to touch his little hand and foot and see what I can only describe as ‘the new purpose for my life.’