Losing a baby is incredibly tough, but itโs unfortunately common โ the CDC estimates that around 24,000 babies are born stillborn every year in the US.
There is so much a parent has to process after learning that they wonโt be bringing their baby home with them. Not only do they have the mental and emotional side-effects of their loss to deal with; they also have to face up to the fact that their homeโs nursery wonโt be used.
Some parents choose to keep their nursery in tact, in the hopes that in the future, when they are ready, they can bring another baby into this world. For others, the implications of an empty nursery are just too much to deal with.
In Cokato, Minnesota, one grieving mother had set up a garage sale to sell of her babyโs unused belongings. Valerie Watts had decided that now was the time to part with the items in her nursery and move on โ but she never could have imagined that sheโd be reunited with the crib in a very different form.
Valerie had enjoyed an easy pregnancy with her son Noah, right until the final few days, when Valerie noticed a change in her little boyโs movements.
Sharing her story with Fox 9, she said:
โI knew. He wasnโt moving too much. I was very nervous.โ
Little Noahโs umbilical cord had become pinched in the womb, and he passed away before Valerie gave birth.
The stillbirth came at a big shock to Valerie, who didnโt have any time at all to adjust to her new reality. So she held onto all of her sonโs belongings, not ready to part with them โ including his crib.
Eventually, Valerie felt ready to move on, and hosted her garage sale. It was here that she met a man named Gerald Kumpula, who lived a few miles away on the outskirts of Cokato.
Gerald had a workshop in his garage, and knew a thing or two about carpentry. One of his current hobbies was to turn old headboards into benches.
The crib wasnโt technically part of Valerieโs garage sale, but when Gerald spotted it and asked if he could have it, Valerie eventually agreed to sell it. It was only while Gerald was loading the crib up in his van that his wife got chatting to Valerie. She asked Valerie how old her son was, and Valerie told her that he had passed away.
On the way home, Geraldโs wife told him what she had learned โ and the pair formed a plan.
โWe decided on our way home that, you know, this bench is going back,โ Gerald said.
Just one week later, Geraldโs new creation was complete. He had converted the crib into a beautiful bench, and it was time to return it to Valerie.
When Gerald arrived at Valerieโs front door, she broke down in tears. Geraldโs random act of kindness meant more to her than she could ever describe.
A special item that had never been used could now be enjoyed by Valerie in a practical sense. She could sit on the bench and feel close to her son once more.
โItโs amazing,โ Valerie said. โThereโs good people out there, thereโs proof.โ
What a special surprise for a grieving mother. You can watch the full story, plus interviews with Valerie and Gerald, in the video below.
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