I believe that Ella's little life touched my soul so deeply that I have forever been changed. I sometimes forget that her life may have also touched our family and friends too. I forget that even though others may not know her, they are being changed by the help we are providing in her memory.
Sometimes I get worried that others will soon forget Ella and my heart aches. But almost like someone from above knew I needed a little reminder, we receive a sweet email. Ryan's cousin's daughter Katie was asked to write an essay for a class assignment. She is 13 years old and decided to write a beautiful paper on Ella.
This I Believe - By Katie
I believe that when something goes terribly wrong you should make some good out of it. For Ryan and Taryn Krumwiede they did exactly that. Two years ago in late March, Ella Jo Krumwiede was born. About two and half months later she got sick. The hospital treated her hoping it would help but, unfortunately, she didn’t respond and died.
Ella Jo Krumwiede’s story from birth to death. On March 25th my dad’s whole side of the family was full of joy because we now had a new addition to our big family. But we all were concerned because she was sixteen weeks premature and only weighed one pound one ounce. We all knew that there was going to be problems that we would have to go through. There would be times we would just cry from being happy or sad, and that things would happen that we never expected. Because of her being premature we were all worried about what could happen. We wondered if she would have trouble breathing because her lungs might not have been fully developed. We worried she might be deaf or blind or even have cerebral palsy. We hoped and hoped that she didn’t and that she would survive all of this. But 83 days after she was born she was gone. She had gotten a disease and shortly after that she died.
Most people would try and forget about the death or hope that, in time, the pain would pass. Instead of forgetting or waiting, Ryan and Taryn started an organization called Ella’s Halo. The organization is for babies and their families. They try to give them a more homey place in the hospital while their baby is in there. They make blankets for the hospital beds and also for the babies. They also give books, music and movies for the parents and sibling or siblings to have something to do. Just last year they had gotten over 7,000 dollars in donations.
How does Taryn feel about the death of her daughter and the organization that her and her husband started? Taryn feels that Ella’s fight was over and that it was her time to go. She now knows that Ella is now in a better place. But she knew that she couldn’t just let her go, so she found a way to hold onto Ella. She and her husband started Ella’s Halo. Not just to hold on to Ella, but to also help other babies that were like Ella Jo.
How do I feel about Ella Jo’s death? Because she was my cousin I’ve always felt really sad that she had died. Every time I see a picture or video that she’s in I cry. I wish that I would `have seen her in person not just in pictures. But even though I never really saw or met my baby cousin, I know that she is important to me and I will never forget her.
Since Ella Jo’s death. Ryan and Taryn are doing positive things. They found a way to overcome Ella’s death by helping out other babies. Even though they might think back to that situation and just cry, they know that good things have come out of it and that they’re helping out many babies and families all around Minnesota.
Thank you Katie for remembering Ella and for sharing her story so beautifully. Your essay shows the love of family no matter what and this I believe is what Ella's story is all about!
