“I had my boys 18 months apart,” Natasha Richardson once said to a reporter inquiring about the age difference between her two young sons. “Of course, we didn’t plan on having back-to-back babies. But life almost never goes according to plan.”
The world-famous actress uttered those words more than a decade ago. Sadly, none of us could have ever predicted how prophetic her statement would become.
“But life almost never goes according to plan.”
If you have ever lost a loved one or suffered another type of horrific tragedy, then you know all too well how true that line is.
Forty-five-year-old Natasha Richardson passed away yesterday evening following a freak ski accident in which she reportedly injured her head. An autopsy is being conducted on Richardson’s body as I write this, but regardless of the Tony Award winner’s exact cause of death, what I keep dwelling on is the sad realization that her two sons, Michael, 13 and Daniel, 12, will never be able to hug, kiss, laugh with, or share a meal with their mother ever again.
Despite having won numerous acting awards, and the fact that she was married to another outstanding actor, Liam Neeson, those close to Richardson say motherhood was her top priority. Scott Ellis, who directed the star of stage and screen earlier this year shared this comment with reporters shortly after word came of Richardson’s death:
“Some actors when you work with them and they have children, you’re surprised to find out they have children. With Natasha, she was fierce about those kids. Motherhood was really, really important to her.”
A British newspaper reported that Richardson was taking a beginner ski lesson with her sons when she fell and hit her head. I can’t speak for the authenticity of the report, but if it is true I can only imagine how this fact could further scar her young sons. Can you imagine what they must be feeling? One minute they are sharing a vacation day activity with their beloved mother, the next minute she’s on the ground, though insisting she’s okay. Then, an hour later she is being rushed to the hospital, and is declared brain dead shortly thereafter.
Heartbreaking.
As a mom, I’m sure Richardson began the ski lesson more concerned about her sons’ safety than her own. Most moms can relate to this very well. We’re constantly thinking about our kids, worrying about them, anticipating their well being, and determining how we can keep them safe and sound. Our children are our focus, and the idea that we will be the ones who sustain injury in front of them never crosses our mind.
The death of Natasha Richardson has left me terribly sad, not because she was an award-winning actress and an A-list Hollywood star, but because she was a mom and a daughter to a mother, who now has to live with the heart wrenching fact that she outlived her own child.
And what of Richardson’s young sons? They must now deal with a palpable emptiness that will never be filled. Moreover, they must now figure out a way to carry on without the woman who would have given her life for them.
I’m sure Richardson’s sons thought their mom would be there to watch them graduate from high school and college, get married, have children, and perhaps, become a doctor, an astronaut, or the president of the United States.
“But life almost never goes according to plan.”