

However, it would soon come to be that the gift of her second grandchild would result in the devastating loss of her daughter. Virginia shares, “On May 30, 2008, Linda delivered her baby boy by C-section due to a prolapsed cord.” But something had gone terribly wrong during the delivery. “At first the doctor
came in and said to start praying. Thirty minutes later, the doctor came back in looking down, shuffling his feet not knowing what or how to say anything. Larry asked, Is she gone? The doctor nodded his head and quietly replied, ‘Yes’. Just forty minutes after our grandson, Mason, was born our daughter Linda was gone.”

The hours following would be life-changing for Virginia and Larry. Struck with the most unimaginable grief they suddenly learned the realities of Washington State laws. Since Linda and Mark were not yet married and because Linda was not able to sign the birth certificate naming Mark as the father, the hospital had 2 options; give the baby to the state or give the baby to the nearest relative. 14 hours after his birth, Virginia and Larry took Mason home.
Virginia and Larry laid their daughter to rest and cherished her lasting and perfect gift to them. Virginia shares, “the pain and grief was so strong, my heart physically hurt! Mason was NEVER a burden, he saved us. There was a baby that needed parents and parents that needed love. He is part of my daughter and I wanted nothing but good for him, so we raised him. How could I not love him as my own?”

Virginia has also been a tireless
champion for the AFE Foundation. She has shared her journey with us with an openness that few could do. The sharing of her grief has allowed us to better understand the needs of our grieving families. She has been with us since the beginning of our organization and remains to be one of our biggest supporters and cheerleaders.

In 2012, Virginia traveled from Washington state across the country to join the Runnin’ 4 Rocco team- a fundraiser to benefit the AFE Foundation in honor of Teresa Clark Di Pietro. There she connected to other families grieving the loss of their loved ones. It was incredibly healing and so nice to connect face-to-face with others who understood what we were dealing with”, says Virginia.

In addition to all of the support and participation at events, Virginia remains very active in the support groups. She is always there to encourage the newest members and to remind everyone of the importance of supporting our research and submitting their cases to the registry.
Mason, who turns 7 at the end of the month, is a happy and healthy little boy. He is thriving under the care of Virginia and Larry. He is like his mom in so many ways and is enjoying being a cub scout.
We think Virginia is the ULTIMATE mom! Please join us in wishing Mason a very Happy Birthday and honoring the very special moms in his life.