Strength of a single voice

May 8th, 2013

I’m not sure what I expected when I arrived at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver to interview Amanda Tapping for my WE Vancouver cover story—but the grace of the woman I met in the lobby immediately dispelled whatever anxiety I might have had about interviewing such a big star.

As the photographer set up for the shoot that would precede the interview, Amanda and I fell into a passionate discussion about motherhood, a bond we both happened to share. We talked about breastfeeding. We talked about the phenomenon that afflicts many parents where time just seems to simultaneously speed up and slow down the moment you hold your child in your arms. We talked about the magic of play.

And in the midst of all of that bonding talk, she confided in me about her eight miscarriages. I was inspired by her story—one that she had never before discussed with the media—and humbled that she’d shared it with me in those off-the-record moments.

Months have passed since that January day, but Amanda’s private story hasn’t been far from my mind. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, my thoughts have been with women like Amanda—women who wrestle with infertility or miscarriages—for whom the holiday must be especially painful.

I invited Amanda to share her story with WE readers with the belief that it would inspire and educate others (as I have been inspired and educated). She was gracious enough to oblige.

Read the story online at www.wevancouver.com, and share your thoughts in the comments section.

“As soon as you give a voice to it, then it ceases to have as much power over you,” Amanda told me in our most recent chat. And she’s absolutely right, in more ways than one: by breaking her silence about her miscarriages, she’s empowering other women to find their own voices and seek healing in each other.

That’s a pretty powerful voice, if you ask me.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers—especially to those who have not yet held their babies in their arms.

Amanda-and-Sabrina-January-2013

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