FEW
FEW MINUTES NOW TO SHARE ONE OF OUR MOST TALKED ABOUT
STORIES ON SOCIAL
MEDIA TODAY -- AND
ONE THAT HAS PEOPLE
ASKING "HOW DOES
THIS HAPPEN? -- HOW
CAN A MOM DIE DURING
CHILDBIRTH IN THIS DAY
AND AGE?"
THERE'S A CONDITION
THAT OFTEN COMES
WITH NO WARNING
SIGNS, AND CAN BE
FATAL.
AND 6 MONTHS AGO IT
TOOK THE LIFE OF A
31-YEAR-OLD WIFE AND
SOON-TO-BE FIRST TIME
MOM FROM NORTH
BUFFALO.
HER HUSBAND IS
SHARING THEIR STORY
FOR THE FIRST TIME
WITH MELISSA HOLMES
IN THIS 2 ON YOUR SIDE
ORIGINAL.
TO RAISE AWARENESS
ABOUT THIS
CONDITION, AND MORE
IMPORTANTLY, TO
ENSURE HIS WIFE IS
NEVER FORGOTTEN.
NEVER FORGOTTEN.
"HOYT
"HOYT LAKE WAS PROBABLY ALI'S FAVORITE SPOT IN
BUFFALO. SHE WAS
OBSESSED WITH THE
BEAUTY OF IT."
TAKE A STROLL ALONG
BUFFALO'S HOYT LAKE
AND YOU'LL COME UPON
A BRAND NEW PARK
BENCH ENGRAVED WITH
A SPECIAL TRIBUTE.
"IT'S SAYS IN LOVING
MEMORY OF ALISON
ROSE WACLAWEK."
BUT WHO WAS ALISON?
"SHE WAS AS BEAUTIFUL
INSIDE AS SHE WAS ON
THE OUTSIDE."
JUSTIN WACLAWEK MET
ALISON - OR ALI- IN
D'YOUVILLE'S
PHARMACY SCHOOL AND
THE TWO HIT IT OFF.
"I KNEW QUICKLY- I
KNEW IMMEDIATELY-
THAT I WAS IN LOVE
WITH HER."
WHAT WASN'T TO LOVE?
SHE WAS THOUGHTFUL,
FUN, KIND AND
BRILLIANT. SHE
TRAVELED TO THE
MIDDLE EAST WITH THE
BUFFALO JILLS TO
SUPPORT THE TROOPS,
AND WENT TO THIRD
WORLD COUNTRIES TO
HELP SICK CHILDREN.
"SHE HAD ALL THESE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND
ALL THESE PASSIONS IN
HER LIFE, BUT THE
THING SHE WAS
OBSESSED ABOUT WAS
BEING A MOM."
JUSTIN AND ALI WERE
MARRIED IN 2017, AND
THE FOLLOWING YEAR
AT AGE 31 SHE WAS
EXPECTING.
"SHE HAD A GREAT
PREGNANCY."
JUSTIN SAID THE ONLY
COMPLICATION SHE HAD
WAS PLACENTA PREVIA
WHICH CORRECTED
ITSELF. THIS SONOGRAM
PICTURE AT 39 WEEKS
SHOWED A HEALTHY
MOM, AND AN
INCREDIBLY DETAILED
IMAGE OF A HEALTHY
BABY GIRL.
"IT MADE HER SO HAPPY.
THAT WAS THE HAPPIEST
DAY I THINK OF HER LIFE,
WAS THAT DAY GETTING
TO SEE HER BABY."
BUT THAT WOULD BE
THE LAST TIME ALI EVER
GOT TO SEE HER BABY.
"MY WIFE ALI WAS
EVERYTHING TO ME.
EVERYTHING."
AUGUST 16, 2019, LABOR
SEEMED NORMAL... HER
WATER
WATER BROKE, THE STAFF AT SISTER'S HOPSITAL INDUCED HER,
SHE GOT AN EPIDURAL,
SHE WAS JOKING.
"HER LAST PICTURE ON
HER PHONE IS A
PICTURE OF ME
SLEEPING AND A SELFIE
OF HER SAYING I CAN'T
SLEEP, IT'S NOT FAIR."
BUT THEN ALI STARTED
TO FEEL NAUSEOUS, SO
JUSTIN GOT A NURSE.
"WHEN I WENT TO GO
BACK TO HER HER EYES
ROLLED INTO THE BACK
OF HER HEAD. AND SHE
KIND OF WENT OUT. I
SAID SOMETHING. THE
NURSE CAME OVER AND
STARTED CALLING FOR
HER. SHE COUGHED FOR
A SECOND, HER EYES
OPENED AND SHE WENT
BACK OUT. THE NURSE
DID A STERNUM RUB,
REALIZED SHE WAS OUT
AND QUICKLY HIT THE
CODE BUTTON."
ALI WAS HAVING AN
AMNIOTIC FLUID
EMBOLISM, A RARE
CONDITION AFFECTING 1
IN 40,000 DELIVERIES.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY AN
ALLERGIC-LIKE
REACTION TO AMNIOTIC
FLUID GETTING INTO THE
BLOODSTREAM. IT
PREVENTS THE BLOOD
FROM CLOTTING
ANYWHERE IN THE
BODY, LEADING TO
CARDIAC ARREST.
ACCORDING TO THE
AMNIOTIC FLUID
EMBOLISM FOUNDATION,
AFE IS
"UNPREVENTABLE,
UNPREDICTABLE AND
OFTEN FATAL."
"SISTERS DID AN
AMAZING JOB. THE
DOCTORS DID AN
AMAZING JOB."
"WITHIN 5 MINUTES A
NURSE CAME AND TOLD
ME THEY HAD THE BABY
OUT AND THAT SHE HAD
A HEART RATE AND THAT
SHE WAS BREATHING."
"I KNEW THE NEXT TIME
THE DOOR OPENED,
THERE WERE 4
DOCTORS AND NURSES
COMING IN, THAT SHE
HAD DIED."
HAD DIED."
"I
"I NEVER
"I NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO SAY GOODBYE. I TOLD HER I LOVED HER
PROBABLY 40 TIMES
THAT DAY, BUT I DIDN'T
GET A CHANCE TO SAY
GOODBYE."
THAT WAS 6 MONTHS
AGO.
-PEEK-A-BOO NATS-
"ADA'S DOING
PHENOMENAL. SHE'S
HITTING ALL HER
MILESTONES." "SHE'S REALLY A MIRACLE BECAUSE A
LOT OF TIMES THE
BABIES DON'T TURN OUT
TO BE HEALTHY LIKE
THIS."
MELISSA: "AND JUSTIN
HOW ARE YOU DOING?"
"I HAVE TO BE OK
BECAUSE I HAVE HER.
BUT I'LL NEVER BE
WHOLE AGAIN."
EVERY DAY IS A
BALANCE OF GRIEF AND
JOY. LOOKING AT HIS
BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER
ADA, HE SEES THE WIFE
HE LOST TOO SOON.
"THE NOSE COULDN'T BE
MORE PERFECT AND
THE EYES ARE
IDENTICAL. AND THEY
HAVE THAT SAME
SPARKLE. THAT WHEN
SHE LIKE LIGHTS UP AND
SHE SEES SOMEONE
SHE KNOWS, IT'S THE
EXACT SAME SMILE HER
MOM HAD. AND I TELL
HER IT KILLS ME AND IT
SAVES ME EVERYDAY AT
THE SAME TIME."
"I TRY TO JUST TAKE IT A
DAY AT A TIME. I TRY NOT
TO THINK ABOUT THE
FUTURE BECAUSE WHEN
I DO I GET UPSET FOR
THE THINGS THAT ALI
WON'T BE HERE FOR."
BUT JUSTIN ALSO
KNOWS ALI IS WITH
THEM... -NATS-1:52:00 "I
LOVE YOU. YES I DO"
....AND HE FEELS HER
PRESENCE WHEN THEY
SIT ON HER BENCH.
"I TELL HER HOW
BEAUTIFUL HER MOM
WAS. HOW SMART SHE
WAS. AND I'M GOING TO
TELL HER ABOUT HER
EVERYDAY."
"IT'S A PLACE I CAN GO
WITH ADA, WHERE
EVERYONE CAN GO, TO
TRY TO GO TO TRY TO
HEAL. BECAUSE IT'S NOT
JUST ME. ALI'S DEATH
HAS LEFT A HOLE IN SO
MANY PEOPLE."
"IT'S REALLY NOT FAIR
THAT SHE'S GONE
BECAUSE SHE HAD SO
MUCH LEFT TO GIVE TO
THIS WORLD TOO."
JUSTIN'S HOPE IS THAT
HE CAN CARRY ON ALI'S
LEGACY, KEEP HER
MEMORY ALIVE, AND
RAISE ADA THE WAY ALI
WOULD'VE WANTED.
"I HOPE SHE'S PROUD OF
ME. I'M TRYING."
THAT ENGRAVING BY
THE WAY? A LINE JUSTIN
WROTE IN HIS WEDDING
VOWS FOR ALI... THE
SAME LINE HE READ IN
HER EULOGY.
"TODAY IS STILL THE
DAY THAT I WILL LOVE
YOU THE LEAST.
BECAUSE MY LOVE FOR
YOU WILL NEVER STOP
GROWING."
I KNOW AFTER
WATCHING THIS YOU'RE
PROBABLY ASKING HOW
CAN I HELP THEM.
JUSTIN SAYS HE'S GOT
ALL THE HELP HE NEEDS
THANKS TO A STRONG
SUPPORT NETWORK
FROM FAMILY AND
FRIENDS. HIS WISH? TO
HELP OTHER FAMILIES
BY FINDING A CURE FOR
AFE, AND BY
SUPPORTING OISHEI
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
...AND THEY PLAN TO
HOLD A FUNDRAISER
FOR BOTH IN NEAR
FUTURE- ALL IN ALI'S
HONOR. MELISSA
HOLMES, CHANNEL 2
NEWS.
NEWS.
THANK
THANK YOU, MELISSA. WHEN YOU CLICK ON THIS STORY ON OUR
WEBSITE, YOU'LL FIND
AN IN-DEPTH
INTERVIEW WITH
MELISSA AND THE A-F-E
FOUNDATION FOUNDER,
WHO'S A SURVIVOR
HERSELF.
SHE SHARES VITAL
INFORMATION ABOUT
THE RARE CONDITION.
AND YOU'LL ALSO FIND
A VIDEO WITH ALI'S
BEST FRIEND, WHO
SHARES HER
MEMORIES OF ALI, AND
HOPE FOR ADA'S
FUTURE.
FUTURE.