Margaret was from Jefferson City. We lost her May 6th, 2019. She was 15.
When Margaret was a vibrant 5-year-old, she was involved in a car accident and was deceased at the scene, then airlifted to MU Children’s Hospital Emergency Room, where she was not expected to make it through the night. She was diagnosed with 2 broken femurs, her neck was broken in 2 places, and she had 2 spinal cord injuries. She became quadriplegic on a ventilator. She was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for 45 days; it was touch-and-go. They took amazing care of her and never gave up. Mom says she couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.
Margaret was strong and just wanted to be one of the normal kids. She utilized the hospital a lot. The family had interactions with the Child Life Specialists, Link, the facility dog, Music Therapy, and the Bead program, all supported by CMN dollars. The staff at Children’s Hospital gave us memories that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. They continue to work with the Journey’s program on grief, and the hospital staff is amazing. The hospital gave us 10 more years with our daughter since the initial accident in 2009.
Life is short and can be taken away too quickly. We say, one more kiss, till I see you again, not forever, Love mommy. We wish we had one more day with her to hold her and kiss her, but we will see her again. Margaret is one of a kind, amazing and inspirational!
Her parents are Sherline and Eric Romph.