Mama Bear Marie: Holding Strong

February 20, 2025

Thank you, Marie, for sharing your story with our Mama Bear Care community! We love to see your Mama Bear strength and spirit!

Mama Bear Marie: Holding Strong

Meet one of our Mama Bears! Marie is mama to sweet Azariah. Though she wasn’t given much hope after receiving a prenatal diagnosis, Marie gave birth in September and prayerfully spoke words that challenged the doctors’ assumptions and led to changing their hearts.

Marie remembers the day Azariah was born. She and her husband were instantly in love. As Marie watched her husband stand beside Azariah in the isolate, she knew the team was resuscitating her baby, and her heart ached for her husband, who didn’t want to take photos because he was afraid that would be their only memories of their son.

Later, though, Marie took pictures of everything, wanting to chronicle every moment in case it was their last. She writes, “Many doctors told us we should let him go because he would not have quality of life. A few days in, things looked grim. We had a meeting with about 20 professionals. These were top-notch doctors, I knew. As we entered the room, I prayed. I felt so very weak. God gave me the strength and the words….To me, they were nothing special, but rather stating our hearts, challenging the doctors in their thoughts that we want to love [Azariah] and fight for his life.”

The head physician later told Marie that her words changed many hearts in that room!

Marie recalls one morning during rounds, an attending physician thought Azariah had “declared himself,” meaning he didn’t want to fight any more. Marie’s inner Mama Bear rose up! She writes, “It made me a bit mad. I turned to her and said, ‘As long as he has life, he has not declared himself. If you are saying he is going to die either way, we are going to die trying.'” (The doctor later apologized to Marie!)

Marie adds, “I hope that sharing with others will help other women make a choice to love and cherish their babies and children as long as God allows.”

This Mama Bear has fierce love and tender care for sweet Azariah. We are grateful to have been part of this family’s journey! Support for our ministry helps us provide tangible help and resources for Mama Bears AND Baby Bears, as well as other family members. If you’d like to partner with us to provide practical, emotional, and spiritual support for our Mama Bear community, click on the “Donate Now” button to set a level of monthly support that is right for you.

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