nmah522.xml

nmah522.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-08-29

After waiting 11 years, my husband, 11 year old daughter and myself were finally having the 2nd child we had always dreamed of. When the doctor scheduled the due date for Wednesday, Sept. 12, my oldest daughter, Hannah, said her sister was not going to be born on a Wednesday, as "Wednesday's child is full of woe". (Remember that poem?)
So the doctor changed it to Tuesday, September 11 just for her, as "Tuesday's child is full of grace."

We arrived at the hospital, which is within 5 miles of Camp Lejeune, N.C. the world's largest amphibious military base.As we were waiting for the doctor to arrive, the anesthesiologist came out and asked if the doctor had arrived yet. When told no, he said a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. We all looked at him in disbelief. Who can imagine such a thing? Who can comprehend something like that while waiting to give birth?

Shortly after, the anesthesiologist came out again to inquire if the doctor had arrived yet. When told no again, he said a 2nd plane had hit the 2nd tower. None of this really sunk in, as we were anxiously awaiting the doctor's arrival. (We later found out he was watching the news.)

The doctor arrived, and made a speech in the operating room about "everyone being under stress at this time, and being worried about events outside the operating room, but that we needed to concentrate on events inside this room." Our daughter was born at 10:27 am on September 11, 2001. Her name is Madison McKinley Eichhorn.

As if this day was not tragic enough already, the doctor called my husband that night to say there was some problems with the baby, and they would need to run some tests. It turns out our daughter, whom we had waited for so long, has Down's Syndrome, Hirschsprung's Disease, and a small hole in her heart.

The grief and terror we experienced that day was more than anyone should have to bear. Our nation was at war, our daughter was very sick, and we were afraid Camp Lejeune Naval Base would be hit next.

As we look back to September 11, we are filled with many emotions. But we cling to the fact that on the darkest day in America's history, and little ray of hope shone through.

Sincerely,

Walt, Angela, Hannah, and Madison Eichhorn

I have dealt with grief on many levels, as well as frustration, anger, and other emotions. Our life is now filled with doctor visits, therapists, and financial hardship, as we receive no help for our daughter's handicapps. We also worry about budget cuts (I work with the school system), and lay-offs (my husband is a chemical operator).

That there were small rays of light on the day, that shone through.

Yes. I fly the flag everyday proudly from our front porch.