Vernon, My Boy

When my wife got pregnant the first time, we decided that we would name the baby Mary Clare if she were a girl, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. Clare of Assisi. If it were a boy, we would name him Vernon Gabriel. Vernon was my personal choice and Gabriel was taken from Archangel Gabriel. So, after nine months of waiting, our firstborn was delivered and it was Mary Clare.

Camille, My Camille

It is every couple's prayer that their would-be children would be born normal i.e., without any physical or mental anomalies. We were no exception. But as fate would have it, our second child, Camille, would be born with congenital deformities. She had cleft palate and bilateral cleft lip. You could just imagine the emotional and mental anguish my wife suffered from the day she learned about the condition of our baby who was diagnosed with such deformities when she was still six months in her mother's womb. I had to be strong for my wife so I could somehow alleviate her suffering. When Camille was finally delivered, she had another abnormality which was not detected by the ultrasound.