Another Year Without Her

My Angel, Camara (October 2, 1999-November 18, 1999)

Today would have been my only daughter, Camara's 14th birthday. But I can't celebrate it with her. In fact, I never got to celebrate any birthdays with her because she died when she was only 7 weeks old. Camara was a beautiful chubby cheeked, 8lb 9oz blessing from God. She was my 1st and only daughter after having my two oldest sons. We were so excited to have a daughter. I had had a rough pregnancy and even her birth was traumatic. During one of the checks to see if I was dilating properly, the doctor was able to feel Camara's hand. On top of that, she was actually holding her umbilical cord and it was starting to come out. Or course, that led to an emergency c-section. She was delivered safely and she seemed healthy at the time. We brought her home a few days later to start our lives as a family of 5. I was battling a post-partum infection when Camara took ill at 3 weeks of age. We rushed her to the emergency room and by the time we passed her off to the triage nurse she had fallen into a coma. She was transferred to a different hospital where a team of doctors rushed passed us as my husband and I sat dumbfounded. This couldn't be happening to our family. After a few hours, the tests were conclusive. Group B Strep meningitis. At the time, the hospital where I received my pre-natal care didn't routinely test for this. If they had , they may have been able to prevent this. Camara spent 4 weeks in the hospital. I spent it next to her in a daze. She died in my arms November 18th, 1999 with her dad by our side. There is so much more to the story, but I don't really want to feel all of that today. Today I would just like to remember how she felt, how she smelled and how much I loved her. Happy Birthday Camara Sabreen. You will never be forgotten.