A ᴡɪᴅᴏᴡᴇʀ and his daughter have recreated the ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɴɪᴛʏ pictures he took with his ʟᴀᴛᴇ wife while she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with the toddler in a commemorative photo shoot.
James Alvarez’s and wife Yesenia Aguilar had been trying for a baby for two years, and had held a joyous ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ party just three months before. The couple had been taking the walk on the advice of their ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ, in a bid to ensure their longed-for daughter would be healthy. James said :” Nothing was different that day except we took a different route. We were preparing for the baby’s arrival and deciding on curtains. There was a store around the corner from where we lived, so we decided to go and walk the long way back home. I remember holding her hand and talking about curtains and then we ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ sᴄʀᴇᴇᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍɪɴɢ. We turned around and sᴀᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ ʜᴏᴘ ᴛʜᴇ sɪᴅᴇᴡᴀʟᴋ and ʜᴇᴀᴅ ɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. All of a sudden, I ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ғᴇᴇʟ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ anymore. I remember the ᴀᴍʙᴜʟᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀʀʀɪᴠɪɴɢ and telling them ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ sᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ and if you ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ sᴀᴠᴇ ᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ.”
James ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ allowed in the ᴀᴍʙᴜʟᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴅᴜᴇ to ⒸⓄⓋⒾⒹ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴏᴄᴏʟs. When he arrived at the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ, he and his in-laws were told that Yesenia had ᴅɪᴇᴅ. Adalyn, however, was successfully delivered via ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. She was given ⒸⓅⓇ and placed ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛᴏʀ ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴏғ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ for about 20 minutes. He said :” When they told me my daughter sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ, I was in sʜᴏᴄᴋ. It’s like I’m ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ ɴɪɢʜᴛᴍᴀʀᴇ and I’m hoping to ᴡᴀᴋᴇ ᴜᴘ soon. But I’m accepting the reality is sʜᴇ’s ɢᴏɴᴇ. And my daughter is the ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜɪɴɢ that I have left. The ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ said she was going to be there for months, but the second day they took her ᴏғғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛᴏʀ because she was ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ on her own. I believe she’s ᴀ ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ, everything she was ғᴀᴄɪɴɢ though her birth, she overcame it.”
He said Adalyn has also helped him to go on after ʟᴏsɪɴɢ wife. James said:” The biggest lesson my daughter has taught me is to be ᴀ ғɪɢʜᴛᴇʀ too. She gave me the strength I needed to carry on. Now, I wants to tell his story to inspire others and to ᴋᴇᴇᴘ his wife’s ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ. I share my story to help others overcome their ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇs. I’m trying to be a great dad and make these memories for her and carry my ᴡɪғᴇ’s ʟᴇɢᴀᴄʏ. I want people to know my wife was an amazing woman and she ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ ʟɪғᴇ to sᴀᴠᴇ my daughter. I can’t thank her enough, because I have my daughter and she means the world to me and I don’t know what I would do ʟᴏsɪɴɢ both of them.”
He said: “Adalyn’s birthday was coming up and ᴜɴғᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴀᴛᴇʟʏ her birthday is the same day I ʟᴏsᴛ my wife. I wanted to do something meaningful and special to celebrate her birthday and honor my wife.” The photographer who took the couple’s ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɴɪᴛʏ ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏs suggested reenacting the shoot with Adalyn. Adalyn dressed in a pink dress like her mother had worn, Adalyn and James posed in similar positions for the tot’s birthday shoot. James said: “I had someone make a pink dress for my daughter to wear and we went to the same exact location, around the same time that we did the ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɴɪᴛʏ sʜᴏᴏᴛ. We tried to reenact it to make the pictures identical and it was truly amazing. It reminded me of the day we took those pictures and how beautiful my wife looked. Looking at Adalyn dressed up like her mom, it was very emotional and touching. It reminded me how proud and how happy my wife would be seeing how gorgeous she is. My daughter will ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ know my wife like I did, but I hope I can one day show her all these beautiful moments and explain to her exactly how her mommy was and ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇᴍᴏʀᴀᴛᴇ my wife.”
He added: “Seeing the pictures and seeing Adalyn dressed up like my wife, it reminded me that I still have ᴀ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ of my wife with me and that’s my daughter.”
