Please, Light A Candle (With Addendum)

My cousin, Cathy Jo, works at the local Go-Mart and I swung by there earlier and saw her otuside where she told me her daughter, Angela, is in the hospital, critical condition, with her 2nd child. She's six months pregnant but is high risk because she was born severely premature and her uterus did not develop properly. She had a hard time with the first one but he came out okay. Worse, she's been so sick, they think the baby, a boy, whom she has named Gabriel David, is a pound underweight for his gestation. Angela developed placenta abruptio, I think is how its spelled and its when the placenta detaches from the uterus. Its only partial at this point but the medication to keep her from contracting is making her sick, which makes her vomit, which makes her hemorrhage more. So far, they think Gabriel is receiving the oxygen he needs and they are giving Angela massive steriod shots to prepare his lungs. He's breech too, so they will have to put her under for the C-Section. She's been in respiratory failure twice and they are giving her breathing treatments three times a day to prepare her to go under anesthesia. Basically, its touch and go. I know the odds for severly premature babies, especially those born under duress. Angela was born in the first week of the 7th month and weighed 2 lbs. 13 oz. She came out of it without any major complications, other than her uterus. They are estimating Gabriel's weight at a little over 1 lb. When T-Bird had her daughter at 20 weeks (4 1/2 to 5 months) Tori weighed a little under a pound, so, Gabriel is tiny, tiny for his gestational age. If you've never seen a micro-preemie, hold your hand like you're making the letter "C", if you're a woman with average hands, it will wrap around the babies head from chin to chin. That's how little they are. Here is a micro-preemie story I found online. If you click on the link and go to photos and then to NICU, then to the bottom of the page and start with the first picture on the bottom you will appreciate how small this really is. The mother of the little girl in this story said her daughter's head was the size of a lemon and her dad could put his wedding ring over her entire foot. They have a photo of that. I love the name Gabriel. It is a strong name. No wonder, as it means, "strong man of God." And David, meaning "beloved." I lit a candle for them and I hope you do too or if you see a candle, that you think about Angela and Gabriel. **** Addendum**** 1. I have posted a picture of my friend Jerermiah, who is also the brother of my best bud, Beanie, on my photoblog. He is currently serving in Iraq. Wouldn't hurt to light a candle for him too. 2. John Kerry is coming to the Labor Day Celebration a couple of miles from where I grew up. Its one of the largest labor rallies and they are expecting thousands instead of the normal hundreds of peeps. I don't care if I have any money or not, Nate and I are going!!!