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Within an hour of sitting down at the computer this morning, my Twitter client was filled with tweets about Madeline Alice Spohr -- the 17-month-old daughter of blogger Heather Spohr (whose blog has been temporarily suspended by BlueHost, doubtless due to the traffic surge) had unexpectedly passed away.
I'm going to tell you the truth, here, and admit that after the first few references (and after looking the story up, and learning it was about the untimely death of a child)... I closed Twitter. Because I didn't want to keep seeing it. Because of all the tragedies that befall the human race, the death of a child is the one that scares me the most. Stories like this make me feel panicky, and I had to walk away for a while.
When I was ready to come back, I discovered that Twitter was still busy with links and condolences and exhortations to others. Maddie had been a preemie, and so before this last, sudden bout of illness, her parents were already planning to participate in the March of Dimes March for Babies later this month. Heather's fundraising goal was $3,000; when I first looked, this morning, she had around $5,000 in donations. As of this writing, she's already topped $12,000.
Real people are making real donations, in memory of a child most of them have never met, because this is the sort of news you can try to walk away from (believe me, I tried), but just can't.
This isn't the first time we've seen support sweep across the Internet, but this is one of the first times I've seen it happen so quickly, and with such supportive force.
Meghan at AMomTwoBoys has set up a page dedicated to Maddie's memory, along with a Mr. Linky for folks to link up their own posts. At last check, there were already nearly sixty bloggers who had written their own tributes to Maddie and her family.
Tanis at Attack of the Redneck Mommy knows this pain, and wishes she didn't:
I wish on every star in the universe that Heather and Mike did not know this loss. I wish with every cell in my body that I didn’t have to welcome my friends into this parenting club where the only requirement for membership is having drown in an ocean of grief after losing a child.
I wish, I wish with a million spilled tears that Maddie was alive and my Shale was sleeping safely in his bed down the hall.
And as we all struggle to reconcile this loss, Kaiser Mommy notes:
If the sheer power of twitter and internet could heal broken hearts and bring Maddie back, she would be here as strong as Wonder Woman.
And Maggie of Okay, Fine, Dammit concludes her grief with what feels like a simple prayer:
I'm shocked. I'm sad. And I'm so, so sorry.
May she light up heaven the way she lit up earth.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Spohr family as they grieve and heal. Making a donation in Maddie's name feels inadequate, but it's all I can do.
BlogHer Contributing Editor Mir also blogs about issues parental and otherwise at Woulda Coulda Shoulda, and about the joys of mindful retail therapy at Want Not.
