This is a personal real-life reflection of how a group of forum members brought peace, joy, support, and so much more to a mom that was dealing with the most traumatic event in her life.

When my firstborn was brought prematurely into the world it was without a lot of celebrating and balloons.  Instead it was in a room of machines and incubators that he spent his first days.  The day after he was born, I was able to spend a little time to announce his arrival to an online forum that I belonged to.  The cyber congratulations poured in from the group members.

A week later we were told that he was in trouble and had to be rushed to a hospital on the other side of the country.  Upon arrival there he was immediately prepped for emergency heart surgery.  The online community sent their prayers to add to our own.  We waited, and watched over the next few days as our tiny fighter pulled through, then once again the good wishes and words of encouragement flooded in as the group members followed our trauma.

Years passed and life wasn’t yet finished interfering with this little boy.  He required daily treatment that was both invasive and unpleasant, but he endured it all with grace.  The forum supported him by sending him postcards, stickers and small toys.  Each day he would endure the procedure thinking about whether or not the mailman would have delivered anything for him that morning.

As my second baby came into the world, the group once again filled my life with happiness in the form of a crocheted afghan for the baby, plus they didn’t forget Jake either with another one being sent to him.

I’ve only met a couple of these special ladies in person, one of them is now like a sister to me, but despite the miles and oceans between us, this entire online community is like a family to me.  I will never forget the way they came to rescue my spirits when Jake was born, or their kindness when he was sick.

As with families and groups of people, there’s fun and a chance for bickering, but there’s also a friendship within an online community that transcends all international barriers and provides a caring safety net at times when members need a soft place to fall.

At one of the most joyful, yet traumatic times of my life, when my first son was born, and then again when the thought of what he had to endure for treatment broke my heart even more, this group of online connections brought me support, hope and love – gifts that will never be forgotten.

Photo by Aditya Romansa on Unsplash