A Woman Who Suffered a Huge Loss and Experienced the True Meaning of Friendship Shares Her Experience with Everyone
There's so much to know about this type of loss.
A miscarriage can turn an ordinary day into something unrecognizable, especially when the rest of life keeps moving anyway. For Ashlee Gadd, a 35-year-old mother of three in California, the hardest part was not only the loss itself, but trying to get through daily life while grieving and bleeding.
Her story also shows how much a simple message from a friend can matter when everything feels heavy. What happened next turned a painful private moment into a reminder of what real friendship looks like.
And then one text changed everything.
Meet Ashlee Gadd and Her Family
Ashlee Gadd suffered her first miscarriage when she was seven weeks pregnant with her fourth child.
ashleegaddFriendships!
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.
ashleegaddFriendship 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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This also echoes the AITA dilemma where someone hid her pregnancy to avoid hurting infertile friends at a baby shower.
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 part of the story hit a lot of people hard.
"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!
Some losses are invisible, but they still change everything.
Want another pregnancy heartbreak and friendship tension? Read the AITA post about missing a best friend’s baby shower while struggling with pregnancy.