THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

Perhaps you've read about the tragic event that took place on Friday, January 16, in Phoenix, Arizona. Erica Morales, 36, gave birth to quadruplets and then died without ever seeing her babies. Three beautiful girls, Erica, Tracey, and Paisley, and one perfect boy, Carlos, would never experience one second of their mother's love firsthand. Carlos Morales is now faced with the enormous task of raising his children alone.

For three years the couple tried to get pregnant and could not. Erica suffered at least one miscarriage. Finally after having turned to in vitro fertilization, the couple conceived in June of 2014. Erica did everything to ensure that this pregnancy would be successful. She ate right, exercised frequently, and tried to remain stressfree.The mother-to-be's only concern was that her infants would be born healthy and strong. Erica didn't worry about having to care for four babies at once, her only objective was to be the best mom she could possibly be. She was estatic yet tried to say focused on having a safe delivery resulting in a positive outcome.

Erica's blood pressure presented issues early on and was a factor in an ordered bed rest weeks before a Caesarean section became necessary. What actually was responsible for her demise is under investigation.

For a mother to give her life for her children is the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. We all say we'd gladly surrender ourselves to save our sons and daughters, and I don't doubt for one minute that we wouldn't. But few of us have ever been asked to do precisely what Erica did. Certainly she had no way of knowing that her life would be taken so that her children might live, but her vigorous quest to become pregnant truly indicated she'd have done anything to be blessed with a family.

Erica Morales did anything and EVERYTHING!

As the years go by, her children will come to realize how special a mother they'd been given. The girls will derive a strength from her that Erica most likely didn't even know she had. Carlos will realize the courage and determination a woman must possess in order to bring a new life into this world. He will always carry a deep respect for motherhood as he matures. And after the numbness begins to fade, their father will realize Erica was not only his better half, but his fierce lioness, his consummate warrior in their personal fight to give birth to their future.

Every soldier who enters battle knows that he or she might be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice. Yet losing their lives is not enough to prevent them from the task at hand. They are fighting for the safety and happiness of the citizens of their homeland. Nothing is going to stop them from their objectives, nothing!

Nothing stopped Erica Morales when it came to giving life to Erica, Tracey, Paisley, and Carlos. Nothing stopped Erica Morales from ensuring the safety of her babies, and nothing stopped Erica Morales from doing everything possible to give her four newborns a happy life,

NOT EVEN MAKING THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE!  R.I.P. dear Erica, you are a mother now, something you'd wanted to be for a very long time. And there are three beautiful girls, one perfect boy, and one extremely proud father, that can and will attest to that always and forever!