Valarie Watts was devastated when she delivered her stillborn son, Noah, in July. The loss was overwhelming, and as she grieved, she decided to sell most of the baby items she had eagerly bought for his arrival. But there was one item she couldn’t bear to part with: a white crib that had symbolized all her hopes and dreams for Noah.
Last month, at a yard sale, a kind-hearted retiree named Gerald Kumpula spotted the crib. Although Valarie, who was 28, had been reluctant to sell it, Gerald, 75, asked if he could buy it. Gerald was a skilled craftsman who loved turning old furniture into new creations, especially benches made from old headboards and footboards. He saw potential in the crib.
After some hesitation, Valarie agreed to sell the crib for just two dollars. She felt a bit of comfort knowing that Gerald would turn it into something beautiful. “I was kind of at peace with it,” she said. “Because he’d be making something nice.”
During the sale, Valarie and Gerald’s wife, Lorene, started talking. Lorene asked about Valarie’s son, and Valarie shared her heart-wrenching story of losing Noah. Moved by Valarie’s grief, Lorene told Gerald about the tragic loss on their way home.
The Kumpulas, who had raised fifteen children and enjoyed many grandchildren, deeply understood Valarie’s sorrow. They felt that the crib truly belonged with her. A week later, they returned with a heartfelt gift: a bench crafted from the crib that had once held Valarie’s dreams for Noah.
When Valarie saw the bench, she was overwhelmed with emotion. “It’s beautiful,” she told TODAY.com. “There are still good people out there.” The bench now sits in her living room, surrounded by cherished memories of Noah.
“I’m so happy that it’s not just sitting around doing nothing,” Valarie said. “Now I can sit in it, hold his bear, and think about him if I need to.” In the last days of her pregnancy, Valarie had noticed that Noah wasn’t moving as much. On July 22, during a cesarean section, she and her fiancé, Jimi Hamblin, received the heartbreaking news that Noah wasn’t breathing. The doctors later explained that his umbilical cord had tightened, cutting off his oxygen.
The Kumpulas, who had lost their first grandchild to stillbirth, felt a deep connection to Valarie’s pain. Gerald knew how a crib, once full of hope, could become a painful reminder of loss. “An abandoned crib is a somber reminder,” he said. “A bench functions more as a monument. It’s a part of that awful event, but it’s not a crib—an empty crib—like it would be.”
Gerald refused to accept any payment for the bench. “It’s just nice to be able to help someone. Helping others is good,” he said with warmth.
Now, as Valarie prepares to marry Jimi this autumn, the bench sits next to a bookcase filled with Noah’s pictures, footprints, handprints, and ashes. The couple also has a 7-year-old daughter named Nevaeh. For Valarie, the bench has become a place of solace and comfort.
“Even though he’s not here, I feel comforted by his presence when I’m sitting in it,” Valarie said. “Everything has a calm, ‘it’s okay’ vibe to it. I can sit on the bench and feel better when I’m sad; everything will work out in the end.”
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