Finding Purpose Through Pain

Amanda Knight is a part of a club that no one wants to join or be in. The club Amanda is a member of is for parents who have regrettably lost their children. My interview with Amanda was undoubtedly filled with emotion as she walked me through the loss of her daughter, Sadie, and how that impacted her life as well as the lives of her family members. Several years ago, Amanda and her husband brought twin daughters into this world. Unfortunately, the twins were born three months premature. After a seven-month hospital stay and a long complicated fight, they lost one of their twin daughters, Sadie, just four days before her first birthday.

"Sadie made me a better person and a better mom. She helped me find my purpose." -Amanda Knight

It took Amanda a long time to heal after the loss of her daughter and to be able to share her story. Amanda is at the point now where she can openly share Sadie's story and she uses it as a guiding light to help other parents going through similar situations. Amanda's foundation is called Sadie's Purpose, she started it last year in hopes of helping NICU families battling intensive hospital stays. Sadie's Purpose focuses on helping parents and siblings going through NICU hospital stays by supplying them with essentials so that they can take better care of themselves while tending to their sick children. In many cases, NICU parents leave for the hospital in the middle of the night and are acting out of an urgency to get to the hospital, because of this they are not prepared when they arrive. The last thing NICU parents are thinking about is personal care items and taking care of themselves. When Amanda and her family were in the hospital with Sadie they did not bring anything to take care of themselves and as a result, had to spend a lot of money at the hospital gift shop on basic personal care items that at the time were difficult for them to afford. Amanda realized that parents could not properly care for their sick babies if they weren't able to take care of themselves so she used this idea to start Sadie's Purpose in hopes it would help other parents going through similar situations.

There are many charitable organizations that focus on helping premature babies but few if any that focus on the parents. For Amanda, the care packages her foundation provides are about more than just the items, it's about giving parents permission to take a break and focus on taking care of themselves, even for a few moments. One of the most important components of what is included in the care packages for parents is a notebook with a pen. Families in the NICU may be working with several doctors and it is important to keep track of who said what and to take notes because it is impossible to retain much of the information you are presented with given the stress of the situation. She understands exactly what NICU parents need because she has been there and wants to help alleviate some of the pressure NICU parents are facing.

My hope with this newsletter is to share Sadie's story and to help parents who have gone through the loss of a child understand they are not alone in their grief. While Sadie was here for a brief period of time, her purpose remains strong. Through the loss of her daughter, Amanda became a better, more present mother to her other children and was able to use her grief to help other families in similar situations. Through grief and loss, we can still find beauty and purpose, Amanda is proof of the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity. It is also an important reminder to openly share your story with others. You never know what someone else is going through in their life and simply sharing your story could help them out of a dark place. When we share our stories, no matter how difficult they may be, we end up being stronger as a result. We also find like-minded supporters this way that help us on a collective scale to thrive, even after a tragic loss.

Please join me in supporting Amanda and her organization, Sadie's Purpose. Remember to always show kindness and love to everyone you meet because you never know what struggles they are dealing with or facing. Your simple act of support and kindness could be what someone else needed to get them through or out of a situation. Be a good person and be kind to all.

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