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.

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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.

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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. 

Meet Ashlee Gadd and Her Family ashleegadd
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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. 

Friendships! ashleegadd
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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.

Friendship is Caring!ashleegadd Woman typing a chat reply about friendship and caring feelingsashleegadd

Ashlee Replies...

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

Ashlee Replies...ashleegadd

Her Reply via Chat

Her Reply via Chatashleegadd

Anna Texts Back...

Anna Texts Back...ashleegadd

Can We Still Be Friends?

Can We Still Be Friends?ashleegadd

Yes!

Text message screenshot on phone asking to remain friends after loss ashleegadd

Anna to the Rescue!

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

Anna to the Rescue! ashleegadd

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." 

Ashlee Had Never Encountered a Loss Such as This. ashleegadd

Ashlee Continues...

Ashlee Continues...ashleegadd Woman looking thoughtful while continuing her story about a painful lossashleegadd

And Her Story Continues...

And Her Story Continues...ashleegadd Two friends smiling together, reflecting on gratitude and lasting friendshipashleegadd

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.

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

Happy Together...

Happy Together... ashleegadd

Everyone Who Heard Ashlee's Story Was Deeply Moved.

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

Everyone Who Heard Ashlee's Story Was Deeply Moved.Krissy White

This part of the story hit a lot of people hard.

"This Made Me Tear Up."

"This Made Me Tear Up."Lauren Jaeger

From a Young Widow...

From a Young Widow...Jenny Salanga

"Everyone Handles Loss Differently."

"Everyone Handles Loss Differently."Allison Jones Cantrell

A Touching Tale...

A Touching Tale...Samantha Gerardi

"My Life is Crazy a Lot..."

"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.

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