After selling her deceased son’s crib at a yard sale, Valerie Watts was surprised when the buyer returned it a week later. The anticipation of a new baby brings immense joy and excitement to expectant parents, but Valerie’s happiness turned to heartbreak when she gave birth to a stillborn baby boy.
Valerie had enjoyed a smooth pregnancy until things took a sudden turn. “All week, I knew,” she recalled. “He wasn’t moving as much. I was very nervous.” Baby Noah’s umbilical cord had gotten pinched in the womb, causing his life to end before it began. Overwhelmed with sadness, Valerie couldn’t bring herself to part with the crib she had bought for him, as it served as a painful reminder of her loss.
Gerald Kumpula, a nearby resident with a workshop on the edge of Cokato, noticed the crib at the Watts family’s garage sale and expressed interest in buying it, even though it wasn’t officially for sale. “When he asked me if I was selling it, that he made benches, I hesitated,” Valerie admitted. At that time, Kumpula was unaware of the crib’s story.
His wife, browsing through the baby clothes at the garage sale, asked Valerie how old her son was, prompting Valerie to reveal that he had passed away in July. Upon learning the crib’s background, Kumpula decided to transform it.
A week later, Kumpula returned the crib, now reimagined as a bench. “I started crying instantly,” Valerie said. The bench, crafted from the crib, now serves as a poignant reminder of a difficult time, yet it also brings a measure of solace to the grieving parents.
