Unborn Child Recognized as “Baby of the Year”

Grand Traverse Area Students for Life proudly announce the winner of its 2005 “Baby of the Year” contest, Cecilia Anne Pupel, daughter of Jim & Michelle Pupel of Traverse City. Cecilia Anne was selected as one of five finalists out of fifteen original applicants. Cecilia was chosen as the winner at Grand Traverse Area Right to Life’s Focus on Life Dinner, held recently at the Grand Traverse Resort. Over 960 guests at the dinner were asked to vote for the child who best represented the philosophy of Students for Life, that ALL human life is precious.

At 25 weeks of pregnancy, Cecilia’s parents learned that her heart had many defects and that she would not live long after birth, if she even made it to her due date. An amniocentesis confirmed that Cecilia had a chromosome abnormality called Trisomy 18, a condition doctors say is “incompatible with life.” The Pupels were advised to have an abortion, but they refused, acknowledging that only God is the giver and taker of life. They decided to trust in God to determine the length of their child’s days.

While she was still in the womb, the Pupels began calling their baby Cecilia. Her four brothers, two sisters, friends and relatives all prayed for her by name. Her mother, Michelle, told people about Cecilia wherever she went, sharing how much Cecilia touched her life and the lives of those around her, even from the womb.

On Wednesday, September 29, while Michelle was driving her car, she suddenly felt overwhelmed by an “indescribable joy,” as if she had “just given birth.” She believes that God allowed her to know, at that moment, that her child had been born into eternal life. The next day doctors confirmed that Cecilia’s heart had stopped beating and they made arrangements for her deceased body to be delivered. Cecilia Anne was delivered on Monday, October 4, at 41 weeks’ gestation, surrounded by her family and loved ones. Her parents and siblings had the opportunity to see and hold the little one that they had grown to know and love over the past nine months. At her funeral, a photo of Cecilia’s little feet, taken shortly after delivery, was displayed next to a color ultrasound picture taken of her in utero. The two images together spoke to the hearts of all who saw them, confirming that her life, though short, was indeed a precious gift.

The “Baby of the Year” contest is an annual fund-raiser held by Grand Traverse Area Students for Life in order to fund their peer outreach presentations and support programs that aid teenage mothers and young women facing an unplanned pregnancy. The contest is open to all babies, two years of age or younger.

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