This piece was difficult but also cathartic to write. Iām grateful that it could be shared in the
@NEJM for others to read.
I did not get to hold you for the first 3 weeks of your life. I knew this would happen. I was the surgeon, and I was prepared. But slowly, over those first weeks, my surgical armor shifted, slipped, cracked, as you gradually opened your eyes and claimed me as your own.