October 7, 2017
The 3rd annual Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness 5K was held last evening, October 7, 2017 at 6 p.m. in Prestonsburg, Ky. The Robertson Family, AKA The Colton Crusaders, of Louisa, came out in full force to support a cause near and dear to their heart.
Here is their brave and powerful story as told by mom, Misty Robertson.
“…No life is perfect, and a part of life is facing disappointment, change, and loss. However, there is one loss that can be overwhelming and devastating. The death of a child can be really hard for the parents and siblings of the deceased child.
When the doctor announced that my precious baby boy was gone, I felt confused by all of my emotions. “Why is this happening to me?” is the question I kept asking myself. After a lot of time to heal and somewhat move on with my life, I can say this: Everything happens for a reason, even if I don’t understand the reasons why. I 
believe there is a greater purpose or reason why things happen. Losing my son so young was life shattering. Believing there is a reason for his death makes me feel a small amount of peace. I have found that this belief impacts my thoughts, my feelings and my behaviors.
My belief that everything happens for a reason impacts my thoughts each day. After the untimely death of my 3 month old son, I realized that we do not always get what we want. Life does not always turn out the way we had hoped or expected. One thing I know for a fact is that things are always changing. I think that the changes in my life are not always meant to accommodate me. Instead, I think changes are sometimes made to challenge us.
It took a while to move on past his death, but once I did, I realized that my attitude is the thing that was stopping my progression with healing. I think I can decide what I make of any situation because no one else can do that for me. Believing that everything happens for a reason has helped my thought patterns turn from dark and depressing, to a thought pattern of hope and desire for the future. I want to know what the reason is and I believe that someday I will know.
My belief that everything happens for a reason also impacts my feelings. I will never forget how one ordinary day suddenly became the worst day of my life. I was a stay at home mother of four. I loved being home with my boys. When I woke up on March 26, 2007, and leaned over to look into my son’s bassinet, I saw a lifeless body. I clearly remember scooping him up into my arms that morning and crying. I could not think clearly or even breathe at that moment. I just wanted my baby to cry, to move, to do something that showed some sort of life in his lifeless body. I laid him down gently on the floor and started CPR. I can still recall all the emotional pain I felt that day. I knew by the color of his body that he wasn’t going to live. I became numb. I had no feelings about anything in my life for a very long time. Nothing made me happy, nothing made me sad, nothing made me angry. My feelings were gone. As I began to heal and to believe that my son’s death was for an unknown reason, I began to feel again. To think that out of his death, a great good could come, made me feel a small amount of joy that I had not felt. Believing this allowed me to feel happiness with my other children, sadness when something hurt my feelings and angry when something was wrong.
My belief that everything happens for a reason greatly impacts my behaviors. When the doctor first spoke, I was in shock. He was very calm when he told me there was nothing to be done to save my son. He continued to tell me that there was nothing I could have done to save his life either. My behaviors changed completely from this moment on. I couldn’t eat because my baby was unable to eat. I could not sleep. I completely shut down from the outside world, mentally and physically. I can still recall that day, that week, and that month. I would sit alone everyday doing nothing at all. I felt useless to my children and to the outside world. I was no longer myself. This had changed my life forever. Life as I knew it was over. I was already dead inside and I felt as if I could never move on. Once again, as I began to heal, the realization that his death had happened for a reason helped me to find my purpose. I began eating and sleeping. I no longer tuned out my other boys. I again became the mother I had once been, maybe even better. Now I am more aware of my thoughts, feelings and behaviors. I work each day to be the best person, mother, student and employee that I can be because of my belief that everything in life happens for a reason.
I believe good events as well as bad events in our lives happen for a reason. I believe there is a greater purpose when things go wrong. Aspects in our lives change so we can learn something new. I believe this because I have learned so much from this experience and continue each day to learn how this affects my thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Even though I don’t know the exact reasons why my baby was taken from me at such a young age, all I can do is remember that things happen for a reason. I find great comfort in this belief. Someday I hope to know that reason, but for now, I am content in knowing there is a reason…”
(Misty is currently a Registered Nurse at the Jordan Center in Louisa)
This wonderful sharing family is now a family of 5. Brandon and Misty Robertson and their 3 sons Zachary, Braydon and Braxton. They received a trophy for having the largest group participate in the 5k. We at the levisalazer.com want to say “Way to Go Colton Crusaders” for sharing your story with us. Thanks to all who donated and participated, and to Misty for allowing us to learn about her family’s journey.
