“I often watch other fathers with their children. You solve many situations with the sentence, ‘Ask your mother!’ However, not all of us have that luxury.”
Samuel Volrie from Texas is only 28 years old and already a single father and widower. He tells his story at Cafemom and impresses countless people around the world with his strength. Even though his wife died shortly after their first child was born, Samuel manages to be strong for his daughter every day.
“MARRY MADE ME A BETTER PERSION.”
“Maria was the woman I needed so badly. Although we only had five years together, she made me a completely different person – a better person. I needed someone like her to help me ignite my inner fire and show me that I can do better.”
When the two met, Samuel already had a daughter, whom he only saw on weekends. “I’m not proud of that, but at least I’ve always had a good relationship with my eldest.”
After a while with Maria in his life, many things took a turn for the better: “I made my own money and finally managed to save enough of it to buy my first car. Later, I bought a house and paid all my bills. I got a promotion at work and even started eating healthier.
“SHE WAS MY BEST FRIEND.”
Maria had successfully completed her studies, had a good job, and had many dreams and plans. “She always cared for others without giving up on herself. She had so much balance in everything she did. She was the most balanced, loving person I have ever met. She was my best friend.”
When Maria shows him the positive pregnancy test, Samuel feels like he’s finally where he’s always wanted to be. This time he wants to do better because, with Maria by his side, he is ready to become a father. But then life intervenes.
MARIA KEEPS SAYING, “SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH ME!”
The birth of her little daughter Alina was difficult; Maria lay in labor for many hours. When their daughter is born, they are both happy and relieved. Although everything seems to be fine, little Alina is supposed to be taken to the intensive care unit for monitoring. So Maria and Samuel have to walk across the hospital if they want to see their little daughter. And that’s when they realize for the first time that something is wrong.
Maria can only move with great difficulty; she is in great pain, and she can hardly make it to her baby. She even needs help to go to the toilet, which is only a few meters away from her bed. She keeps telling her husband and the hospital staff, “There’s something wrong with me!”
DESPITE HER COMPLAINTS, MARIA IS RELEASED.
Other women who gave birth at the same time as Maria have long been fit again; she just doesn’t want to improve. A week and a half after the birth, Maria was only a shadow of herself. Nevertheless, the nurse came and sent her home; the insurance company would not pay for the mother’s longer stay. “That was the beginning of the end,” Samuel recalls.
Little Alina is supposed to stay a few more days for observation, so Maria decides to visit her daughter there the next day. Since Samuel doesn’t get parental leave, he has to go back to work. He takes his wife to their baby; she spends the whole day there. What nobody suspects is that Maria is bleating to death internally, in the middle of a hospital. When Samuel picks up his wife in the evening, her condition is bad. At night, she is sometimes no longer responsive.
“PLEASE DON’T CRY, DARLING.”
Panicked, Samuel takes his wife to another hospital. There, they try to help the weak Maria, but unfortunately without success. His wife’s last words are “Please don’t cry, darling,” and then her eyes close forever. On September 5, 2019, Samuel lost his wife, and little Alina lost her mother.
Today, three years later, Samuel is a single father. Little Alina lives with him and is his everything. Unfortunately, Maria, who would have turned 30 this year, cannot see how her daughter is developing. The three-year-old is a happy little girl and Daddy’s pride and joy.
“I am incredibly grateful for the support of my parents and my big sister, who do a lot for me and Alina. Without her, I would have given up long ago. But I will do anything to keep Maria’s memory alive and to make her proud. Although Samuel struggles with bouts of depression, as a single father, he wants to stay strong for his daughter and keep her mother’s spirit alive.
“I do not have many friends. I sure don’t have a lot of money. But I have a purpose in life. Maria Corona’s name will forever be meaningful because, as long as I live, I will remember her. Alina will know through me and the people around her how great her mother was.”
