A Woman Who Suffered a Huge Loss and Experienced the True Meaning of Friendship Shares Her Experience with Everyone

The expression "miscarriage" may suggest that something went wrong in the way the woman carried the pregnancy. However, this isn't always the case.

Most miscarriages occur because the baby isn't growing or developing normally. A general practitioner and principal investigator, Iris Gorfinkel, founder of PrimeHealth Clinical Research in Toronto, Ontario, has composed an insightful piece on why we should consider discarding the term "miscarriage" altogether. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, 10% to 20% of all confirmed pregnancies end in miscarriage. However, the actual number is likely higher, as many miscarriages occur early in pregnancy.

This happens before the couple even knows about the pregnancy. Ashlee Gadd is a 35-year-old mother of three living in California.

According to her, the hardest part of her miscarriage was figuring out how to navigate her daily life while grieving and bleeding. "There are so many things I didn't know about this type of loss," she said.

"I never understood how much everyday life keeps whirling around... how this cycle doesn't happen in a day. It endures and lingers. I never thought about how many women walk around in public places while quietly miscarrying." 

Meet Ashlee Gadd and Her Family

Ashlee Gadd suffered her first miscarriage when she was seven weeks pregnant with her fourth child. 

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Friendships!

Fortunately for Gadd, she had people to support her through the loss, including Anna Quinlan, a close friend she has known for about ten years. 

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Friendship is Caring!

So, Anna Quinlan, her close friend, reached out to her. 

However, rather than asking how Ashlee was doing, Quinlan texted a series of thoughtful questions.

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Ashlee Replies...

The mother, Ashlee, responded to the text with a photograph of a roll of tissue. 

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Her Reply via Chat

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Anna Texts Back...

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Can We Still Be Friends?

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Yes!

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Anna to the Rescue!

Later that day, tissue and Cheez-Its arrived on Gadd's patio. 

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Ashlee Had Never Encountered a Loss Such as This.

Gadd told Good Morning America that a miscarriage never made it to her list of experiences. "It took a few minutes for it to truly hit me, and I was crushed so badly," she said. "The doctor asked if she could hug me, and the moment she did, I started crying." 

It worsened over the following week, and Gadd's mother had to undergo a dilation and curettage. A dilation and curettage is a procedure performed after a miscarriage to clear the lining of the uterus.

Gadd recalled that she still felt very pregnant, sick, and her breasts hurt during that week. "My body felt extremely pregnant, yet my mind knew that I would not be pregnant for much longer, and that was truly hard to accept." 

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Ashlee Continues...

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And Her Story Continues...

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In Any Case, She Considers Herself One of the Fortunate Ones.

During that trying time, Anna helped and supported Gadd. Gadd decided to share her experience on social media because the support meant so much to her.

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Happy Together...

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Everyone Who Heard Ashlee's Story Was Deeply Moved.

Here are some of the comments on Ashlee's viral story:

Krissy White

"This Made Me Tear Up."

Lauren Jaeger

From a Young Widow...

Jenny Salanga

"Everyone Handles Loss Differently."

Allison Jones Cantrell

A Touching Tale...

Samantha Gerardi

"My Life is Crazy a Lot..."

Leeann Woodall Fortenberry

A miscarriage is not something anyone prays for, but life can be unfair sometimes. Therefore, it’s important to remain strong at all times in order to overcome the raging storm when it comes.

Have you had or encountered an experience similar to this viral story? Please comment and share your thoughts below!