The Story of Audrey Williams Pride

When I gave birth, all of my worst fears were confirmed. My son, my first born child, did not survive. We conducted an autopsy, which came back inconclusive. They simply could not identify a single reason why my son met this horrific fate.

I sunk into a deep depression, blaming myself for my son’s death. I carried that guilt and harrowing depression with me for years. I have since learned the harsh lesson that time does not alleviate this type of grief, and that I’ll have to live with it the rest of my life.

Years later while watching the news, I heard President Obama mention Camp Lejeune’s toxic water. Only then did I piece together the facts and come to the conclusion that my son’s death was related directly to the contaminated water I drank and cooked with before and throughout my pregnancy.

Tragically, my story is far from unique. A graveyard known as “Baby Heaven” currently exists at Camp Lejeune. Hundreds of graves mark the lives of babies lost, infants who did not survive more than a few days, if they survived at all. For me, the site serves as a tribute to these young lives lost — and as sickening evidence that something at Camp Lejeune had gone terribly wrong.