Hometown Heroes Tug at Heartstrings

Before we get swept up with tales of heroics acts from people we don’t know, it is important to acknowledge and commend heroes right in our midst.

Jason and Heather Lilyquist of Howards Grove, Wisconsin, get my vote as favorites. On May 30, Heather gave birth to Owen Matthew Lilyquist. What seems like an ordinary everyday event was anything but. You see, Owen was determined to have anencephaly while in his mother’s womb. This condition is lethal, and abortion universally recommended if not urged. Here is Jason and Heather’s explanation of how they dealt with the heartache of learning that their precious son would not live long following birth.

“Owen was diagnosed with anencephaly during the second trimester of pregnancy. Because he was fearfully and wonderfully made, his life inside the womb was cherished through the third trimester of pregnancy by his loving family.”

Nestled inside the warmth of Heather’s womb, Owen surely had a resting place designed by a heavenly Father. In today’s world where some would think Owen should be abruptly ripped from that womb, Heather and Jason allowed him to live his brief life in comfort and love. Truly, they are heroes for all times.

Owen’s obituary concludes as follows:

“There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.” To which we say a great “amen.”

Barbara Lyons