Brent and Tanya learned they were pregnant October 2012. Following complications, Jan. 2, an ultrasound revealed the baby would not live after birth. Doctors recommended termination, but God confirmed, “I will take her when it’s time, and it’s not time yet.” Brent and Tanya named her Ganya, meaning “garden of God,” and Lily, as a reminder of God’s promise to look after his children (Matthew 6:28–30). Ganya arrived at 5:05 p.m., June 9, breathing and without pain. Ganya was borrowed from God for one hour, during which her parents held her close and said goodbye.
A mother’s journey
In October 2012, I took “the test” and woke Brent with an excited, silly grin. We were going to have child number four – exactly what we wanted. Our joy was indescribable, and we were ready. Ganya’s life had officially begun.
We prepared for where the baby would sleep and considered names until our world crashed in January 2013. A complication sent me to the emergency room where an ultrasound showed a problem. Two doctors scanned our baby for an hour before explaining that our child would not live after birth. They recommended termination.
I cried out to God, and I got a clear sense in my heart: “I will take her home when it’s time, and it’s not time yet.” It was my task to carry this child I knew to be a girl, though her gender was not yet confirmed.
My river of tears didn’t stop for several months. We continued to prepare, though differently, for her life would be spent mostly nestled in my womb.
We met with a palliative care team and neonatology personnel to make sure her life would be comfortable. We asked people to help us celebrate her life, and shared the special name we chose for our daughter in advance of her birth.
Ganya means “Garden of God” and is a takeoff on my name – Tanya with a “G.” We thought of our child being in God’s abundant garden. Her middle name is Lily because we know God cares for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow (Matthew 6:28–30). We trusted our heavenly Father would look after our daughter and us.
June 9 arrived, and we surrounded ourselves with love and support. With amazing doctors and nurses guiding us, Ganya Lily arrived in our arms at 5:05 pm. She and God must have chatted about arriving on my parents’ 40th anniversary to honour them.
Praise be to God, Ganya was breathing and did not need medical intervention for breathing or for pain. Yet her life was nearing its end.
We’d known most of her life had already been lived inside of me. Now it was time to celebrate her one and only birthday.
We took turns holding and kissing her. I did a mother’s loving duty, bathing and diapering her. We swaddled Ganya in a blanket made with love, prayers, and tears by her grandmother.
We held her hands, kissed her toes, and bathed her with our tears of “See you later.” A volunteer photographer captured this in detail.
Though it confuses us that God only allowed us one hour with our precious daughter, we know that children are only loaned to us on earth.
Ganya’s too-brief life has left us treasuring her memory. Her memory also lives on in her siblings Sarah, Ivan, and Nadia; her paternal grandparents Robert and Pauline Watson; her maternal grandparents Maynard and Frieda Loewen; and many uncles, aunts, and cousins.
It is our prayer that God be glorified by Ganya’s life. We are grateful so many have paid tribute to our daughter’s beautiful, yet short, life. God has been faithful and good and shown that through many friends and family.
Ganya’s complete story is at www.griefhaven.org/our-children/baby_watson.html— Brent and Tanya Loewen-Watson
