In honor of all graduating students, I share a family story about my niece’s uncertain beginning into this world. This story came into being because of a job opportunity. I was required to demonstrate my writing skills by sharing an original sample. It was for a marketing and communications position for a hospital system, so it had to focus on health care and it could be personal. So, I wrote about what I knew. Like most writers do.

My younger sister, Kim, then 23, was going through a medical rough patch and we were all rallying around her in support. That was 18 years ago. The account I share here is unchanged from the original. That’s important to me because I want to ensure that the integrity of the words capture how we felt during my sister’s high-risk pregnancy carrying my niece, Emily.

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