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Updated: 2002-09-06 01:00

63 Reasons to Hope--Babies Born Post-Sept. 11 Gather in New York(2002/09/06)

63个"世贸宝宝",63个希望的理由--9·11遇难者遗腹子纽约合影(2002/09/06)

The women who gathered with their babies for a photo session in New York this summer looked just like any other group of new mothers.

 Reasons to Hope--Babies Born Post-Sept. 11 Gather in New YorkBut as they chatted, their small talk told a different story: "What did your husband do?" ... "His mom called me right away"... "They found a lot of Frank, right?" ... "I think the hardest part is going to be explaining it to my kids."

The women all lost their husbands on Sept. 11 and gave birth to their children in the months afterward. Primetime had met many of the women in the course of the year, and wanted to bring them together for a photograph to commemorate what for them has been a harrowing year, the joy of their babies' births tempered by the sorrow of their loss.

Going Through Pregnancy Alone

Sixty-one women ended up participating, with two sets of twins making a total of 63 babies - roughly half of the babies known to have been born to Sept. 11 widows.

The 63 babies were a happy sight, but the loss that unites their mothers, of course, was not. In a similar way, while the mothers said their babies had brought them joy, many said that having to go through a pregnancy alone had made their grieving even harder.

"I think he's a gift," said Haven Fyfe of her 1-month-old Parker, "but I did not think being pregnant and being a widow was a gift. I thought it was very cruel." Fyfe had told her husband Karleton that she was pregnant just two days before he died on board American Airlines Flight 11. She went through a long and painful natural childbirth, but said the pain was "a cathartic release for me about the anger that I have about my husband's death."

Katy Soulas said she wishes her husband Tim, who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center, was present at the birth of their sixth child, Daniel, so she could have thanked him for making her a mother. But she said she sensed his presence: "I felt Tim holding my hand. So he was with me."

Many of the women said the single hardest moment of the past year was coming home with their baby, to a home without a father, and then facing the prospect of raising their children alone.

"It would be very easy to just stop," said Patti Quigley, as her baby Leigh gurgled on her lap. "She wakes up at 6, like clockwork, every day, and I can't just let her lie there.... Once I'm up, I'm all right."

The widows, many of whom were meeting each other for the first time, found some solace in coming together. "It's incredible to take in, that so many people are going through the same thing," said Barbara Atwood, whose husband Gerald was a firefighter. "There's some comfort, unfortunately, in that - and there's strength in it."

Rings for Remembrance

For many of the widows, their wedding rings have taken on a special importance.
Terilyn Patrick had celebrated her first wedding anniversary with her husband Jim on Sept. 9. Searchers found his wedding ring lying amid all the destruction at Ground Zero. Patrick plans to give it to her newborn son Jack, who she says already has his father's smile.

(Agencies)

今年夏天,一群年轻的母亲带着各自的孩子聚集在纽约布鲁克林植物园照合影,看起来,她们就象所有刚做妈妈的妇女们一样普通。

但是从她们的闲话家常中,你还是可以听出区别。"你丈夫以前是干什么的…""我婆婆刚才还给我打电话了呢……""你看,他长的跟弗兰克象极了……""我觉得,最困难的事情是如何告诉孩子他爸爸遭遇的一切……"

这些妇女的丈夫在9·11恐怖袭击中不幸丧生。她们在后来的几个月内生下了遗腹子。ABC"黄金时段"(Prime Time)节目组在这一年中遇到了许多这样的妇女,作为9·11周年祭的献礼节目,他们想要把她们都请到一起,照一张合影,用以纪念这令人痛心的一年,失去亲人的痛苦冲淡了婴儿出生带来的喜悦。

一个人渡过怀孕期

据统计,世贸遇难者家属中,约有一百多名孕妇。将近一半人参加了这次活动。61位母亲带来了各自的宝宝,其中包括两对双胞胎,所以一共有63个"世贸宝宝。"

孩子们欢闹的场面是幸福的,然而他们的妈妈独自承受的丧夫之痛、分娩之苦,是常人难以想象的。 许多母亲都认为孩子的诞生给她们带来了欢乐,但同时也令她们越发地思念自己的丈夫。

哈文·法伊夫的宝宝才一个月大,在她看来,"宝宝是上帝赐给我的礼物,然而成为寡妇、独自生孩子却不是礼物,那是十分残酷的事情"。哈文回忆说,去年9月9日,她欣喜地告诉丈夫自己怀孕的消息,然而他们只高兴了两天,9月11日,丈夫登上了撞向世贸大楼的美航11次航班。从怀孕到痛苦的分娩,她都一个人挺了下来,在她看来,"分娩之痛是丧夫之痛的一种发泄"。

凯蒂·索拉斯的丈夫蒂姆在世贸中心105层工作,凯蒂是多么希望他们的第6个孩子丹尼尔诞生时,蒂姆能够陪在她身边啊,"那样他就能知道,我多想谢谢他让我再次成了母亲"。但她说她依然能感觉到他的存在,"我能感到他拉着我的手,一直陪伴在我身边。"

大多数母亲都承认,最艰难的事情莫过于一个人抱着孩子回到家--冷清的、没有父亲的家,然后,一个人担负起喂养孩子的重任。

帕蒂·奎格利看着自己的孩子利欢笑着坐在她腿上,说道,"要对付痛苦其实很简单,孩子每天早上6点准时醒来,象个活闹钟,而我总不能就让她干躺在那儿……所以我只要睁开眼睛,感觉就好多了。"

大部分母亲都是第一次见面,她们从彼此之间找到了许多的慰藉。芭芭拉·阿特伍德的丈夫是位消防员,她说,"这个场面令人难以置信,这么多的人在过去的一年中经历了相同的悲痛,今天,我们大家给予彼此的是安慰和力量。"

最浪漫的戒指

9·11以后,在这些母亲的心中,结婚戒指具有了一种特殊的意义。
去年的9月9日,泰莉琳·帕特里克与丈夫庆祝了结婚一周年纪念日。然而,两天后,心爱的人却永远离开了她,留下的只有一枚戒指--救援人员后来在世贸废墟中找到了。几个月前,泰莉琳生下了儿子杰克,她将戒指珍藏起来,准备以后传给儿子--"他现在已经拥有了与爸爸一样温暖的笑容。"

(中国日报网站 张楠)

 
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