Leanna Lorraine

Leanna is my niece.  My sister Lisa's daughter.  I've always felt very close to her, despite the 20 year age difference.  Maybe because I was there when she was born, and in my own little way, I helped her come into this world.

I was living in Ohio when my sister was pregnant.  They knew that there was something wrong with Leanna while she was still inside the uterus.  My Mom had already headed to Chester, VT to be with Lisa and Miguel  my brother in law.  When they found out that Lisa would need to go to Boston to have Leanna, I drove out from Ohio to be the official baby chauffeur.

The plan was that Lisa would go into labor and be transported to Boston via ambulance, and I would drive my Mom to Boston to be there with her.  Unfortunately, plans changed, and Lisa wasn't far enough along to warrant an ambulance.  And so I took all of us to Boston, in my little Plymouth Horizon.  At one point, we got stopped by the police.  It seemed that I was driving erratically in the middle of the night.  Thank goodness, the cop saw, and heard the pregnant sister in the backseat and let me go!

Long night of waiting, but Leanna was finally born.  And man, she was the most beautiful baby girl you could ever see.  She was given not a huge chance of survival.  She remained in Children's Hospital for the first four months of her life.  She came home on a feeding tube....tiny little girl.  But she kicked ass and survived.  Most certainly has some of the Sheldon stubbornness in her!

I moved away soon after Leanna came home and didn't get to spend nearly enough time with her.  And so when I DID get the chance, I tried to spoil her with things that her Mother didn't allow.  Makeup.  Play Doh.  Every noisy instrument you could think of.  Finger paints.  And when we were together, I used all of it with her.  It was fun being a kid again!

When Leanna was very young, her baby brother Dylan died at 9 months old.  Soon after, my Father died.  One of the most vivid memories I have of Leanna and I is being on my Mother's outside deck, blowing bubbles with Leanna.  She decided that we were sending the bubbles up to Heaven, to be with Dylan and Grampa.

When I was going through my cancer, Leanna, for a "kid" of only 22, was one of the biggest factors in my survival.  She has a way with words.  She sent me a bottle of bubbles, with some of the most encouraging messages on it.  She sent me cards with wonderful, meaningful insights.  She even asked me to be her Matron of Honor when she marries Sean, her significant other and her son Ian's father.  She was amazingly supportive.  I hope I've thanked her, but if not, thank you so much Leanna.  I love you.

Leanna has not had the easiest of lives.  I wish I could have been there for her more than I was.  I always felt more like her Mom when I was with her.  She recently gave birth to my great nephew Ian, who is almost as adorable as Leanna was when she was born.  I am so proud of how far she's come and how she's making her own happiness, despite not having a great upbringing.  She's a survivor, just like her Aunt!